Sandy,

I am sorry you are feeling such anxiety about your upcoming surgery. It is totally understandable. I had surgery 6 weeks ago and went through the same thing. Mine was out of town so my family made it a special occasion for me. A the whole family (we have 2 teenagers) stayed in a hotel near the hospital and went out to eat at a nice restaurant the night before. We turned it into a celebration that the cancer would soon be out of me. It was still in the back of my mind.....but my family and getting well for them became the thought in the FRONT of my mind.

You are about to fight the enemy. You're going to win by getting it out of your body! Focus on that and the people in your life that are important to you and to whom YOU are important. That way you get this thing into a new perspective. Carry this perspective with you through recovery too.

I'm wishing you a successful procedure And speedy recovery.

Alicia.

48 yo female, quit smoking 4yrs ago, light drinker, Stage 2 SCC, Bx3, Dx 8/22/13, surgery 9/11/13. Partial glossectomy, bilateral neck dissection levels 1-4. Tongue reconstruction with flap from forearm. 87 Lymph nodes CLEAR. Tongue margins good at 1 cm. No further treatment planned. Monthly monitoring planned for upcoming year then periodic monitoring for next 4