Yuck, yuck, yuck and all of that. Now I'm stage IVa. Out of 22 lymph nodes, 3 of them have the bleeping cancer. They range in size from 0.3 to 2.4 cm.

The oncologist referred me to a radiation oncologist who is the head of the department at Morristown, the Carol G. Simon Cancer. Anyone out there had any experience with either Dr. Erik Cohen or Dr. Wong (radiation oncologist)?

Dr. Cohen recommends in 4-6 weeks localized radiation every day for 6 weeks. He said he'd recommend radiating the tongue and the neck. My mother and aunt are wondering why he wants to radiate the tongue since he took an additional 3 cm out and my margins are definitely clear.

Now is the time for me to get my 2nd opinion. I'm going to see someone in Memorial Sloan Kettering in Basking Ridge, NJ. Am I doing the right thing?

This wasn't a shock to me. Everyone and their mother has been calling me all day into the night. I wasn't shocked. I knew it had spread. I would have been shocked if I were in the clear.

It's so comforting to see that so many of you in stage IV are alive and kicking. That is my plan.

10/2/12 Surgery Dx Stage II SCC RLT
11/12/12 Further tongue resec and SND. 3 of 22 lymph + SCC Stage IVa
11/22/12 Hospitalized for infection incision at neck
12/5/13 PET scan tumor at BOT
12/26/12-2/27/13 RT and Cisplatin
4/1/13-5/17/13 3 rounds of Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5-FU
7/19/13 Pet Scan possible recurrence
8/23/13 2nd op at MSKCC, CT Scan
8/31/13 MRI. Both show sizeable mass
9/11/13 CT-guided needle BX + SCC
10/1/13 Erbitux, Cisplatin and Taxotere
2/14/14 Passed away