I figured I should go ahead and introduce myself on here. Like most newbies, I guess I have been snooping around the boards gaining lots of insightful information for a while now, but it's about time I let you all know that I am here reading your posts!

I am 23, yes, I'm a young'un. Apart from getting cancer, I was very healthy! I ate my veggies and fruit and was very active. I played tennis almost every day. My medical oncologist made the comment on meeting me the first time, "Man, when you get sick, you go all out, don't you"? I don't have HPV, or any immune system disorders. I don't smoke, and I hardly ever drink (too many calories!) I was diagnosed at the end of April with SCC. I had an ulcer on the right side of my tongue that was not healing up that had been there since December, and I, of course, was ignoring it. I mean seriously, I was 22 at the time, who gets oral cancer at 22? Me apparently! So I finally got up the nerve to see a dentist in March, thinking that I had a rough filling that was cutting my tongue. So I had that smoothed down and was given some canker sore medicine that did not work. Then I was referred to an oral surgeon who put me on steroids. The sore was responding to the steroids so we waited a couple weeks to see what happened and then I finally signed my sanity away and allowed him to do a biopsy around mid April. Then about a week later I received a phone call and was told I had cancer. Then began the million doctor appointments and scans.

I don't think it hit me at all before the surgery that I had cancer, I was holding up great while everyone around me freaked out! I had my surgery on May 19th, it lasted 14 1/2 hours, and I spent 11 days (7 in ICU)in the hospital because I came down with pneumonia and was having stomach issues with the PEG tube feedings. I had a little more than the right half of my tongue removed and a flap constructed from my forearm. I had a bilateral neck dissection and one positive node. I had a PEG tube put in while I was in the hospital, and I also had a trach (that was removed before I left the hospital).

Needless to say I survived and now I'm going through radiation (TomoTherapy) and chemo (Carboplatin) - yesterday was my half way point! I started off at the beginning with really bad nausea and vomiting, I went to the ER once for fluids, but I have been mostly fine ever since. I developed a lovely case of thrush and I only have one mouth ulcer (so far). I'm still waiting for the bottom to drop out with treatment because I still have a fairly full bottle of pain meds waiting for me.

My ENT is absolutely amazing and that has made all the difference in the world. And for the first time in my life I actually look forward to appointments with a doctor!!

It's been a long few months and I still have a ways to go! But I am trucking along and taking it a day at a time! So I am just saying hi and letting you all into my little world. Hopefully I didn't bore you to death with my story!