I'm so sorry that you had to go through this. And at 19.

I was 25 when I was diagnosed with SCC. I tracked down and connected here with others who were also young when they were diagnosed. For many of them who made it through the acute phase as unscathed as possible, they were lucky enough to return to their normal lives and simply go on. At some point, for many of them, and if I'm being honest for me, they stopped waiting for the other shoe to drop. I know that it's scary and it feels like you will have to be on high alert to watch for things in your mouth for the rest of your life. And of course when we do notice something, it may send us spiraling back, which is why I'm here replying to an older post at 2:00 AM, but, there is some sense of almost normalcy that can return if you let it. Being vigilant is one thing and of course it's important for us, but, don't let the worry that it'll be back stop you from living. Until this week, it had been many months since I'd thought about this. I know that seems like a strange thing to say, but it is also true. Some don't have that luxury perhaps. But others do. You are still young. If you don't let it completely hinder and consume your life, you may be lucky and never have to look back at this again.