Sounds like you're in the right network of specialists, but a second opinion is still worthwhile. "Super-aggressive" is along the same lines as surgery ... once it's done, you can't take it back. I had some doctors who went the super-aggressive route ... not that the treatments themselves were all that out of the ordinary, but I think they were above and beyond what my stage warranted, and I've had to deal with the fallout from that. They got twitchy because I had a very rapid recurrence, even though it was still very mild. I'd done second opinions the first go-round, so I didn't worry so much the second time ... which was not a good plan. In hindsight, just knowing I'd had the second opinions would do me a lot better now.

That said, it may still be just exactly the treatment you need, and the second opinion reinforces that ... which is GREAT to hold on to during the struggling times.


Surgery 5/31/13
Tongue lesion, right side
SCC, HPV+, poorly differentiated
T1N0 based on biopsy and scan
Selective neck dissection 8/27/13, clear nodes
12/2/13 follow-up with concerns
12/3/13 biopsy, surgery, cancer returned
1/8/14 Port installed
PEG installed
Chemo and rads
2/14/14 halfway through carboplatin/taxotere and rads
March '14, Tx done, port out w/ complications, PEG out in June
2017: probable trigeminal neuralgia
Fall 2017: HBOT
Jan 18: oral surgery