August,

Wow, your story and mine really are very alike. They mentioned ANUG to me also, but the hygenist pointed out that this would be the first case she'd seen where it was localized and not all over the mouth. The Dentist agreed. I am not holding too much against my Dentist here. Yeah, he gave me the "oral cancer negative" thing back in May. But once I came back, he promptly got me the care I needed. But I can't help but think that in May, this was still in pre-cancer stages. Maybe not, but you never know.

I am pretty new to all of this, so I don't know a whole lot about the different surgeries and such. Mine is on the lower jaw, but I am wondering if it is somewhat similar to your surgery? I am just wondering what to expect after surgery. I am having 3 teeth removed and part of my jaw. He doesn't think he'll have to take any nodes from my neck, but he'll decide that during the surgery. The PET Scan indicates that this has not spread from the gum, but he said that sometimes when he is doing the surgery, he sees more than what the scan shows, in which case, he'll remove some nodes. I am afraid about eating and talking, though he tells me that I shouldn't have a problem with these things. But I still can't help worrying about it. Did you have any issues with those things? How about your spirit after surgery? I am expecting to feel relieved that the spot is gone, but upset that so are some of my teeth. It's just teeth, I know. And they will reconstruct it later. But still it's giving me an uneasy feeling.

I can't wait to get to the surgery point. You know, it's very strange to be able to feel and look right at your cancer. I imagine that other kinds of cancers bring their own horrible stuff, but somehow, being able to look in the mirror and see the crap creeps me out. I have quit looking myself, but others ask to see it. Just last night, a coworker wanted to look. Um, I am not a sideshow.

I hope we can keep in contact. I love the messages that I have gotten from everyone. But it's nice to have someone that has had (sort of) the same thing as I. Also, I haven't seen any statistics, but according to my OS, cancer presenting itself on the gum is pretty rare. It seems so, because most of the internet stuff you find is geared towards other sites.

Have a good day.