Thank you all for replying so quickly, funny enough it doesnt seem nearly so bad if you know you are not alone. I am having a neck disection, so I guess this adds to the surgery time from the letter I have received the diagnosis is T1 NO Mx SCC left buccal mucosa. I will be in Luton and Dunstable hospital for approx 2 weeks for my surgery. I suppose I was naive to think as it was a small cancer it would not involve too much surgery or need radiotherapy to clear it.

SCC type 1 tumor in left cheek aged 45
T2N1M0 - surgery 14/2/13 to remove tumor, skin graft from wrist, neck dissection. No rads/chemo.