Tim, welcome to the site. Sorry you had to find us. We seem to have had similar cancers. My primary was in the right tonsil as well. But it wasn't discovered until after it was removed during the tonsilectomy. I went on to 35 rad and 3 chemo treatments for the lymph node involvement I had. After which, I had the modified neck dissection which removed the lymph nodes (35) and about 10 oz. of tissue from the neck and shoulder.

The neck dissection was optional, but I opted to have it done as I wanted to make sure all of the bad cells were out of me. That has helped me to feel better about the treatment as it started and ended by removing the offending tissues. If you didn't have lymph node involvement, you are indeed fortunate and must have caught it early. What was the sympton that made you seek medical intervention in the first place? Finding oral cancer is one of the difficulties with this disease. Perhaps your experience can help others.