Joan

Thanks so much you made my day!!! It has been a tough day. We had to make some decisions (just in case and things you should have done anyway) for our wills. I still am scared but you gave me hope. I have been going to Greenville. Pitt ENT Dr. B...... is doing the surgery and I believe he has my best interest in mind.

I first saw a surgeon in Washington about a lump on my neck found by my doctor during a routine physical and he said that it was probably a cyst and he could take it out that Friday. (I only has an ultrasound done at this point) This was in the beginning of Oct 04. I wanted a second opinion and went back to my regular doctor and told her this and she said that insurance doesn't pay for a second opinions.

I kept all this to myself not wanting to worry any one and things at our business got busy so I just put things off. Then I started noticing that under my jaw bone I my glands were getting swollen and was not going down.

After Christmas and getting inventory straight I went back to my doctor and she schedules a mri. She mentioned that it was suggested on the report from the people who read the ultrasound for me to have a mri.

She called me at home as soon as she got the results and told me I had to see a surgeon right away and scheduled an appointment with a surgeon at the Brody school of Medicine. My husband went with me to the surgeon and he said that he couldn't do anything because there was something in my tongue way in the back that he couldn't see it and sent me to Pitt ENT that very same day.

At Pitt ENT he looked at my scans and said he wanted to get a better look at it and had to do the camera thing up my nose to see my tongue and throat. He numbed the pathway first but it still had me sitting on edge. I am a very anxious person and suffer from anxiety. He then told us that he wanted to do a biobpsy to find out exactly what it was to rule things out.

I had the biopsy done and it was cancer. We had different ways to approach it and we chose to try radiation and chemotherapy first then surgery. We were in shock the words of radiation, chemotherapy and surgery were not really sinking in as much as cancer. I had an uncle pass from a tumor he had on his brain 5 years ago so It scared me.

I know now that there are so many different cancers out there and treatments are so different and cancer is so unpredicable that all we do is the best we know how and keep up our hope. With people like you and the others on this site giving us that are going through this encouragement and to know that we are not alone helps a lot.

I was so sick from the radiation and chemo people just didn't think that I would make it. With prayers and my mother and family doing all that they can I am still here working back in our business 6 days a week. Everyone says I look fantastic.

My main concern right now though is how long will I be in the hospital. From my understanding you went home the next day? how many days after surgery did the tubes come out? Then how about the staples. ?

With running a business and school starting I really do not have much help available. I have a lot of people praying for me I just have a hard time asking for favors and help. Maybe this is a learning experience. I know it has let my employess do more. They want to do more to help me because I do look out for them and they missed me when I was out for 3 months with the radiation and chemo.

Love
Terry