Desiree,

When I saw the dentist and was sent directly to the Oral Surgeon about the lesion on my tongue, I had that "sick" feeling that something was really wrong this time. Driving back to work was terrible. I immediately told my best friend in the office, a Masters prepared nurse, what I had found out and I totally lost it. I also told my husband and children. A few others from work saw me upset, and found out that way. As I work in a hospital setting, I found great support from knowledgable people.

One thing I did that worked well is that I told everyone who expressed concern for me that I would update my boss and immediate office mates on my condition. That way my husband didn't have to tell the story a million times. He or I told the boss, who passed it on to the appropriate people. It made returning to work after I got the diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue easier. I got lots of hugs and didn't have to talk about it! We formed an email notification list for my hospital stay, and that worked well, also. He could send out an update when he got home for the day and not have to face making phone calls.

My thoughts and prayers are with you. My daughters are 15 and 17 years old, but I don't think I could have faced leaving them for treatment. Those hugs and kisses have been good medicine!

Take care of yourself.