Hi to all,

I'mm 44 years old married to a wonderful wife, where we together have three beautiful daughters (13, 10, and 6).

This last summer I noticed a submadibular lymph node that was hardended, and noticed that it would not go away..in fact, it kept getting larger. Node was movable--that's good, I thought.

Finally went to my GP, who diagnosed a neck mass and a CT scan, then to a local ENT who looked at me with the scope and couldn't find anything anomalous. Then had a fine needle biopsy, which came back suspicious for metastatic carcinoma (however, was inconclusive).

My wife, God bless her, got me an appointment at a top 50 cancer center, with a top notch ent doctor, who recommended surgery to excise and biopsy the node. He was unsure of the prognosis, as it could have be a brachical cleft cyst.

I had surgery two weeks ago--it was supposed to be an outpatient to excise the node, and I would be on my way home.

I woke up from surgery, in a daze, and can only barely remember my wife telling me that they took out my tonsil, and that I was in surgery for 4-plus hours. I also barely remember her saying the "C" word.

The next morning I woke up in my room, and got the bad news--that the lymph node tested positive for squamous cell carcinoma, and that the primary tumor, at this time, was unknown. The surgeon removed the enlarged lymph nodes, surrounding lymph nodes and tissue, my tonsil, and a salivary gland. I had, I guess, radical neck surgery. I have a slit from my earlobe to my adam's apple. I stayed in the hospital one more day and then checked out.

The next week the surgeon called me with the good news--the primary was in the tonsil, no other lymph nodes were positive, and that there was no extrcapsular spread from the lymph node.

I meet next week with the ent oncologist, the radiologist, and the chemo doctor to hear their recommendations for treatment. My ent doctor intimated that localized radiation to the tonsil area and neck would be recommended with a potential (adjuvant)chemo treatment.

I feel lucky that this was caught when it was, that I went to a top notch surgeon, and that the cancer, at least for now, appears to have been corralled. I am healthy and went back to work this week.

However, I also feel short changed, sad, regretful, apprehensive, remorseful, and all of those other emotions anyone diagnosed with this dreadful disease would feel.

As I said earlier, I meet next week to discuss the treatment plan. I'm fearful of radiation and chemo. But, I get the feeling that there's not going to be a better way to get out of this alive, and I need to stay alive for a long time for the sake of my family.


God Bless You all,

Oscar


Stage II SCCA of Tonsil, Radical Neck Surgery Oct 07--Radiation, Chemo (Pending)??...