Hi Moona, welcome to OCF! Im so sorry you have been diagnosed with SCC. We will be here to help both you and your wife get thru this.

Im glad you have a great support system. Make sure you write down contact info for anyone who offers their assistance. Let them know that even though you may not need anything right now, but down the road you may need some help. There are a million small things that friends or extended family can do to make this go easier on you and your immediate family.

The best advice I can give you is to focus on what is within your control, your intake and pain management. Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones who bounces right after their surgery. Just in case ask your doc to write orders for 2 different prescription pain meds so you can switch off and on and not have to lie there in pain waiting for the clock to tell you its ok to get another dose of meds.

You probably wont be able to talk so take along a dry erase board, cell phone or laptop to type and others can read it. If possible try to have someone stay with you for your entire hospital stay to help run interference between you and the countless hospital staff that parade thru your room 24/7. When unable to speak its not easy to manage the intrusions when most will expect you to talk to them.

Have you gotten a second opinion? Just asking since surgeons always recommend surgery, radiation docs say rads is the way to go, etc. Once its out there is no putting it back. Of course thats what you want with cancer but you also want the least amount of collateral damage possible.

Plan for the worst and hope for the best. We are here to lean on. Best wishes!!!