Hi -
I'm scared.
I was diagnosed today with squamous cell carcinoma - the biopsy was of the buccal area near the right mandible. I don't know what stage I am in. I am seeing a surgeon Saturday.
My story started In Feb. I thought I had brushed my teeth too hard the day I was to go for a cleaning. A couple weeks later, the area had ulcerated & I went back to the dentist. He took an xray & He sent me to a periodontist who sent me for a root canal. The area didn't heal after antibiotic treatment, & I went to a dental surgeon, who took 2 biopsies. He said in his 30 years he had never seen anything like mine.
At the least, the oral surgeon said I would have teeth & part of my jaw removed, with a plate perhaps implanted. I'm not going to look that far into the future. I hope the dr. can fix this thing, but the survival rate looks lousy. This came out of the blue, & I'm scared.
I just celebrated my 67th birthday 5/3. I'm a semi-retired writer & family entertainer & was looking forward to full retirement and enjoying life.
I don't want this thing...I want it out of my body.