Nelie,

I'm so sorry to hear about your diagnosis -- one form of cancer is plenty, but two at the same time is more than any of us would want to contemplate. I also had Stage II tongue cancer on the left side (at age 39) with no lymph node involvement. While my surgical team got clean margins, the tumor was poorly differentiated, so the head and neck oncologists who were consulted felt radiation was necessary. Unfortunately, oral cancer can become aggressive and in many cases needs to be attacked forcefully from the start to increase the prospects for long-term survival.

You didn't mention whether you're being treated at a major cancer center (the NCI-approved ones are listed on this site under Other Resources -- it looks like the closest one to you may be in Buffalo). I would strongly urge that you get a second opinion from one of these centers, especially in light of the two types of cancer you're confronted with.

When I was treated, IMRT wasn't available, and even if it had been, I probably wouldn't have been a candidate for it because of the poor differentiation of my tumor. I had general field radiation and have had some chronic dry mouth problems over the years that I've coped with through a combination of bottled water, non-alcoholic mouthwashes like Biotene, and medication. I also work in a business that requires quite a bit of speaking (although probably not as much as teaching), and I sing practically every week in a choir, so I have a lot of motivation to minimize the dry mouth effects. Many others here have had IMRT and have had fewer long-term problems with dry mouth.

Please feel free to check back here often and ask as many questions as you want. You will generally find plenty of others who have gone through something similar to what you're facing and want to help.

Cathy