Hi Bill. I see that you've gotten some pretty good, comprehensive answers to your questions. From your description, our symptoms were almost identical. I was diagnosed as a result of a swollen lymph node -- the right side in my case. I ended up with a 6cm lymph node tumor and 2cm tumor at the base of my tongue. I wanted to add my story to this thread because I was not offered surgery as part of my initial treatment plan. I took my treatment at M. D. Anderson in Houston. My tag line contains a summary of my treatment. The docs felt there was no advantage to surgery in my case and wanted to preserve organ function and limit disfigurement as much as possible.

In any case, welcome to the forum. Having this stuff is no picnic, but you'll get through it ok.

BTW, I was once a maintenance analyst in a Navy F-14 squadron. I got to ride in one once and joined the Chuck Yeager club. Amazing! Once again, welcome aboard.

-Brett