Hi Tnkay,

If his teeth are that poor, it's wise to have them removed. Sounds like he hasn't had good use of them for awhile so it won't be such a hardship on him now.

Please let your husband know that I was 41 when I was diagnosed with stage 4 oral cancer in my jaw and four years later I am doing fine. A few differences in me and how my mouth works, but nothing that keeps me from doing everything I did before the cancer. DON'T let the statistics given to you matter, they will only scare you. When I read the statistics I considered my life over, done, went into a huge depression. Then I got over it and realized my situation is unique and can't be measured by someone else's outcome.

Right now, you need to find him treatment. You won't find an insurance company that will take him on now, not after a diagnosis of cancer. Take Petey's advice and try the routes he's given you.

As far as your children go, I still have three at home. Our youngest was 9 when I was diagnosed, to young to understand it all. We didn't give her all the details but at the same time, didn't hide anything from her either.........if that makes any sense. No need to sit her down and give her all the scary stuff, just give him/her the condensed version of it, let him/her know that Dad WILL be sick for awhile but that docs are doing all they can to make him healthy again. Most importantly, keep the kids schedules as close to the same as possible. Dedication to this served my family well when I was going through treatment, it really helped my younger kids.

Good luck and talk to you soon,
Minnie