Betty,

I'm sorry you found yourself in this situation, but you've come to a place with lots of information about oral cancer and support from people who have been through it. Like you, many of us also didn't seem to fit the "typical" risk profile for this disease and were stunned to find out we had it. Can you give us some more background about what you know so far -- where on the tongue is the cancer located, what kinds of tests you've had, whether you're being treated at a major cancer center, etc.?

Also, can you clarify why they pulled your teeth? Were they teeth with existing problems that needed to be pulled anyway? It's usually not necessary to pull otherwise healthy teeth "in anticipation" of radiation.

Regarding the pain -- if you have an experienced head and neck cancer team, they should be doing everything possible to keep your pain under control from now all the way through your treatment.

Please don't hesitate to post your questions and concerns here as you go along. Also, try to make use of the enormous amount of information about oral cancer that can be found elsewhere on this site -- it can help you be better prepared for the next few months to come.

Cathy