Cathy, welcome to OCF! Im so glad you have joined our group. We will do our very best to help you and your husband.

The best advice I can give you is to find the best medical professionals you can and go with their treatment plan. If you can go to a Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) that should be your first choice for getting help for your husband. A CCC uses a team based approach so all professionals work on each individual case together to form a treatment plan. The CCCs may also may have a clinical trial that would help your husband. Chemo alone may be used to help shrink the tumor, but it will not completely eliminate it.

To help your husband communicate, try an app called Speak It. Its available on ipads. I had a friend who was unable to speak and she was a wiz with the Speak It. Your husband would type what he wanted to say and the app say it out loud. The app makes using the phone an option for people who dont have a voice anymore.

At the treatment facility are you able to ask about what family programs they offer for their cancer patients. The stress put not just on the patient but also everyone in their household when battling cancer can be overwhelming. Many patients take anxiety meds, quite a few caregivers do as well. Your family would benefit from talking with a therapist who is experienced with how cancer affects the entire family not just the patient. Many people avoid seeking out a therapist even though it would help them tremendously.

I hope this has helped. Best wishes with everything!


PS... Take some time and read thru the main OCF webpages. You will find so much info about oral cancer and everything that goes along with it including info about chemo and mets. By educating yourself you will become a stronger advocate for your husband.

Main Oral Cancer Foundations website