Good Morning, Rita,

Hmmmmm I can't answer about the CT.....I, myself, would want another one, since we are speaking of margins here, and YES you have a right to ask for one. The problem will be whether or not your insurance co. will pay for another one. They aren't cheap. The gold standard, as I understand it, is the PET/CT. The PET shows increased metabolic uptake. Cancer cells have a higher metabolic rate than normal cells, so they "light up" on the scan. So, also, do areas of inflammation and infection. The way they light up will likely be different, with inflammation showing as a more diffuse area. The CT is much more specific as to the exact location of the tumor, so the two scans work together to id that a tumor is present and to show exactly where it is.

I would not think it would be unreasonable to have another CT...but it likely has to be pre-certified by your insur. co., so call TODAY.

Radiation...Has your dr. said that you are likely to need radiation, or is he saying that you might, depending on whether or not you get clean margins? A question I'd like to see you ask is whether, if you don't get clear margins, you could return to surgery to take a bit more tissue, trying for good margins, or whether at that time the best course will be radiation. Ask, too, whether he will recommend radiation if he gets clear margins. If he is trying for clear margins, which, of course he is, then it would not seem unreasonable at all for you to request a more recent CT or a PET/CT to more clearly define the surgical area.

I hope that I am not stirring up trouble for you, but I sure would call TODAY and ask for your dr. to call you back. Tell the nurse the nature of your call, and that time is of the essence. I would hope that you could get to speak with the dr. and not just have the nurse call you back.

and don't worry now about radiation. You have plenty of time to wrap your brain around that if he recommends it after your surgery.

Ask me anything else that I might know.....I wil be out of town for most of the day, returning by suppertime.

Get the mister bottle.....I like one with a trigger handle for my bedside. It gives me a drink without my having to actually take a sip from a glass or actually swallow. It just moistens my throat, and I can spray as many times as I wish and actually get a drink. Also, I preferred straws to trying to manage a drink from a glass at first. I still keep my nice lip moisturizer by my bedside, since I breathe through my mouth some, and I keep a little spray bottle of Biotene mouth wash for dry mouths. These three things stay by my bedside and have made my nights more comfortable. I don't have dry mouth like a radiation patient has, but the appliance gets dry, and I sleep without it, and so more air is in my mouth than is normal, though my tongue has taught itself to rest in such a way as to serve as a closure.

I believe that your surgery will involve a smaller area than mine, so this is why I have felt confident in assuring you that you are going to do very well.

Ask me a question so that I don't just rattle on. Get your nails done....and your hair trimmed...so you feel better...set up your favorite chair in the den so that you can be part of what's going on there. Get a bell, and a little clock that you can see...

Remember that your body will go through some shock, but that your surgery is in your mouth. The rest of your body will be un-touched, so there won't be any reason you can't go here and there. You can go in the back yard and watch your little one play, and you can go to a movie after a few days, if you can stay awake for it. You will need help. I'm glad to know that your sister is coming. Mine came too, and I couldn't have done it without her. She knew how much to push and when to leave me alone. And she drove me where I needed to go. I wasn't ready to drive. She stayed 10 days, and that was about right. I guess I could have made it with less help, since I didn't have any little children, but you WILL need help, especially with your little one, so let her stay as long as she can. You aren't going to be able to do everything by yourself, and you need a driver, and you need not to be by yourself too much at first. She kept me from allowing myself to get tootoo sad, and I fear that I might have without her here. With a little help, you are gonna be just fine!

later...XO--Colleen