[quote=Andy Anderson]
I am cautiously optimistic, but realize this could be a first step on a long road. My tongue is very ugly right now, but she says it looks exactly as it should at this point. (1 week post-op) I am talking better every day, and she says in two months, should be 100%.After reading many stories on this forum, I do consider myself fortunate.
Sincerely, Andy [/quote]

Hi Andy! Sorry for your diagnosis, but as you and others have said, yes it is (WAS) cancer, but is now gone without further treatment. Others have already given you good advice, so I just wanted to address what I quoted above. When my cancer was removed, the Dr used artificial graft on the tongue and my mouth looked like hamburger. Okay, maybe not like hamburger, but in the early post-op period (up to 2 or 3 wks post op) I thought there was NO WAY it was going to heal and remotely resemble a tongue. I was wrong. It healed very well! My Dr kept saying the same as yours did (that it looks just like it should) and I was doubtful, but apparently his training and experience is more accurate than my opinion (who knew?? ;-) ). It took a while before my "lisp" or sloppy speech improved enough for my own mother to understand the difference between sack and shack, but I got there. I actually went to speech therapy when the improvement stopped or slowed down, and 3-4 weeks of that greatly helped. Now, a stranger would never know I'd had tongue surgery, and even close friends and family say they can't tell. I can tell, but maybe its more of the way it feels. Sometimes it just feels "sloppy", especially when I'm tired.

I look back and actually appreciate that the time between diagnosis and surgery for me was only 10 days. I had a flurry of appointments (PET, lab, MO, CO, ENT again) in that time. I'm afraid I would've researched myself into a frenzy if I had more time.

Good luck in your recovery!
:-)
Teresa