Yowza Crystal!

Well I figured this double surgery wouldn't be a walk in the park for you. The pneumonia sucks....you knew they were afraid you have been aspirating (which I realize may not have been the reason for your pneumonia). I'll take it that you didn't mention any other complications, then the surgeries were a success?? I don't mean to make light of pneumonia at all I know that is a serious infection. I guess what I'm getting at is aside from that, did your doctors feel satisfied with the outcome of their surgeries? Were you in for just overnight? Maybe they should have kept you longer to watch for any signs of problems??


I hate that your weak and have terrible coughing but GIRL, getting the tumor cut out has to be such a relief!! Just knowing you have cancer growing in your body really messes bad with your head! That wait is just agonizing to have it CUT OUT. I know you're in pain with the sutures and coughing and vocal cord but I am happy for you that your surgeries to get it cut out of you is done.

The weather has been amazing here (it got up to a beautiful 81 degrees), I went back to work on Monday and I always keep busy with 3 boys! Two of them had dentist appts today and the other I had to get back and forth to baseball practice. So, I have residual fatigue and still on oxycodone but I'm trying to get back to my old life as completely as I can. The rad onc also has me on gabapentin but I don't think it's really doing anything for me.

Even though I'm getting back to my old life, I still feel a strong pull to this site and just to not ignore the fact that I had cancer. It's weird. I want all the symptoms to be GONE but emotionally, this requires a longer healing period is what I'm learning.

I hope your dogs are keeping you company and that you've been able to maybe have been able to have a window open or two to get some fresh air lately. I know you have bigger things to worry about but a nice day or nice weather can improve our moods and we need all the help we can get some days. Especially after everything you've had to deal with, and the stuff you've not be able to deal with because you've been too busy!

Laura Age 40
Tongue lesion on left side grew and was hurting in mid-August
Dx as squamous cell carcinoma on 9.18.18
Left Neck Dissection and tongue surgery, lost a fourth of my tongue on 10.1.18, tumor had grown to a T3
Margins were clear except front section of tongue margin had three stray cancer cells that were not in the tumor
Additional surgery 10.18.18 to remove another cm near where the stray cells were found
33 radiation treatments from Nov 2018 through Jan 2019