Hello everyone! I am newly diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. I'm 46 and female, and in the 10% of cases that there's no real reason for why I have this cancer.

I had a bump on the side of my tongue that nearly eight months ago, my dentist said he could remove with a laser, thinking that I had traumatized it by biting my tongue. I returned to the dentist six months later for my next cleaning and the bump was so big that I continually accidentally bit it. When I asked him to remove it then, he told me the bump was too big. Two weeks later, I had the bump removed by an oral surgeon who was 95% confident it wasn't cancerous but they still sent it in for biopsy. A week later, I got the news it was cancer.

I found this website and forum by looking up tube feedings because I have celiac disease and diabetes and have been told that I'll need a feeding tube through my nose for 1-2 weeks post surgery.

My MRI miraculously showed NO CANCER a couple of weeks ago, meaning that the first oral surgeon removed most of the cancer and my body has possibly healed itself in two months time. But because he didn't get clean margins (he didn't know he was removing cancer), I am still set for surgery Monday.

My treatment plan is a partial glossectomy with alloderm and radical neck dissection, a six-hour surgery, an overnight ICU stay with breathing tube, next day be moved to a normal room and I'm supposed to stay in the hospital 3-5 days. I'll have a feeding tube for 1-2 weeks, two drains placed in my neck, and then pathology should be back a week later. I was told then liquid diet and eventually soft foods. I was also told that I'd have exercises to be able to speak clearly (I teach) and if those didn't work, then I would be referred to a speech pathologist this summer.

I know the surgeon expects to get a 1 cm clean margin from the site of my bump (they literally can't see where the cancer was). The recovery seems brutal and I'm overwhelmed by it. Of course this week, I'm over-thinking everything. What suggestions do you have for me? Any tips, tricks?