Hello everyone,
Here I am back again. The surgery went decent I believe, the doctors were pleased with the outcome. They said the margins were clear. I was released on Sunday and have been home since. The pain can be pretty bad at times, especially the ear pain, but I haven't found a good way of dealing with it yet.
I got the biopsy results this morning, and the cancer has spread to one lymph node (out of 23 they took out), so looks to be T2N1. I will definitely need radiation. I am yet to meet with the radiation oncologist to learn the details, but was previously told it would be for 6weeks. I also need to get a serious amount of dental work finished before I even start with the radiation.
I was curious to hear from those who have had similar how early post surgery can I start doing dental work? And of course, about the radiation treatment, in particular worst side effects/ I can imagine those are highly individual, or not?

Thanks you very much!


36, female, left tonsil HPV+ SCC, T2N1
8/28/13 SCC in left tonsil
9/12/13 surgery:TORS and selective neck dissection (levels II-IV), 23 nodes removed
9/18/13 post surgery biopsy: 2mm clear margins, a 7mm lymph node positive in level IV, no ECL
10/28/13 rad begins, 30 treatments, tomotherapy
12/09/13 radiation ends!
2/10/14 papillary thyroid cancer
2/26/14 PET shows clear neck other than thyroid cancer, but with high uptake in an ovarian cyst
2/27/14 thyroidectomy
3/5/14 pelvic ultrasound