Michael,

Here's one more voice telling you not to panic or assume the worst. I also anticipated "mutilation" when I first heard my doctors describe the surgery they were going to perform on my tongue and neck, but after the incisions healed and the swelling went down, the effects became barely noticeable. I understand your concerns about trying to deal with customers during your treatment -- I'm one of those here who continued to work (albeit a reduced schedule) during my radiation, and I was initially quite self-conscious about seeing clients then. However, they were very understanding and supportive and did not make me feel like a freak.

Don't dwell on statistics -- as some of the others have said, they can be misleading and misinterpreted and they don't serve a useful purpose when it comes to your own recovery. You have many supporters here who want to help you get through this, so come here as often as you need for advice and information.

I've had a long list of extraordinarily good experiences in the past 16 years, many of them traceable in one way or another to what I went through with oral cancer. As I've said before, if someone told me I could go back in time and relive my life without that cancer experience, I'd turn them down, because I wouldn't want to risk missing out on those "good things".

Please stay in touch and let us know how you're doing.

Cathy