You are very lucky to have such a great team players to cheer you up on days you may feel low!!! Ive always thought moral support does wonders for patients. By thinking positively it helps patients remain calm so they can avoid worrying too much and getting carried away with the "what if's" which is does NOT help at all, its just counterproductive. Ive found staying super busy helps to pass the time when we all tend to go to those dark places, movies with intricate twists and turns and goos books helped me tremendously. When that didnt work I moved on to my very least favorite chore... cleaning out my closets and dressers, By the time I began mr treatments, every closet was overhauled, plus i did my spring cleaning and also the fall clean up too! LOL!

Did your friend that sent you here use our site? Over the years we have had quite a few members from the UK.

The doctors will have a much better idea of whats going on and how much tissue they will need to remove once they get in there during surgery. Im sure they are giving you the worst case scenarios to make sure you understand the seriousness of your illness and also that this has the potential to make a major life changing impact on you. Its a very good sign to me that they are covering everything so well so you know what you could be facing. We're always the most afraid of the unknown. Reading and learning about oral cancer will help you better understand everything and for me I found it easier to accept when I knew more about it. I never even heard of it when I was first diagnosed. Luckily I found OCF within a couple days of my original diagnosis in 2007.

Over the years Ive been with OCF, Ive met many different people from all over the US. Some had a permanent trach while others couldnt eat and needed a feeding tube but the majority of OC survivors/patients I would never have known they ever had OC. I couldnt see their neck scars they showed me. Usually surgeons will cut along the natural folds of the neck so it will heal and not be seen. Even the patients who had neck dissections I thought looked really good for what they went thru. Time really does heal all wounds. Having a good attitude will help make everything easier too smile

We may be far away in the US, but when you joined our group you became one of our online family. We will try to help you as much as possible.


Christine
SCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44
2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07
-65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr
Clear PET 1/08
4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I
surg 4/16/08 clr marg
215 HBO dives
3/09 teeth out, trismus
7/2/09 recur, Stg IV
8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy
3wks medicly inducd coma
2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit
PICC line IV antibx 8 mo
10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg
OC 3x in 3 years
very happy to be alive smile