Hello again, folks, Eric here... Well, here's the verdict. The MRI "sucked" as Gary so eloquently put it, so they followed that scan up with a CT/needle biopsy this afternoon (giving me the trifecta for this week -- a PET scan, a CT scan and an MRI).

So I'm now anxiously awaiting those results, which the docs told me I should get tomorrow afternoon. Gary, I hope it's just scar tissue for sure or something else benign!! While "it ain't cancer till they say it's cancer," all signs point to a recurrence from what everyone is saying...

The one bright spot, if you can call it that, is that the node that's showing up "suspcious" falls out of the original field where they did the radiation. That stinks, of course, that they missed this. But it's good news in that it doesn't necessarily mean this tumor is just laughing at radiation. Everything within the IMRT radiation field came up negative...

So basically, unless things come back negative tomorrow (still praying for that!), I'm going to go another round with cancer -- a neck dissection this time (wasn't done originally) and another round of radiation to this new area... yippee :rolleyes:

I'm still holding out hope that this is scar tissue or something like this but realistically....

I will say this. My ENT has been unbelievable. He's been a bulldog for us. He first ordered the early PET scan when I told him my neck was still feeling tender (it was originally scheduled for July). He got my MRI scheduled for today, when all the other powers that be had me pencilled in for next week. He pulled strings to get me the biopsy today rather than next week. And he pulled more strings to get the folks in the lab to get me results (hopefully) before the weekend...

He said he lost sleep over me last night and then actually cried a little bit as he told me he still aims to save my life... I was touched because this is a pretty tough guy. I think I'm really affecting him because we're the same age (early 30s)...

Anyway, so the beat goes on... prayers and warm thoughts continue to be appreciated... I will continue to keep folks posted... Those of you who have been through recurrence stuff, I'd love to hear from you if the final word is positive... I already know a lot of the reality, and it's not good (which is my doc got so choked up)... Throw in some hope as well... Thanks wink

Love to all of you... You don't know how all of you have inspired and blessed me...

Eric

Tongue cancer (SCC), diagnosed Oct. 2003 (T2 N0 M0). Surgery to remove tumor. IMRT Radiation 30x in Dec 2003 - Jan. 2004. Recurrence lymph node - radical neck dissection June 2004. Second round of rad/chemo treatments ended Sept. 2004.