Dianne,

I know exactly what you mean! My surgery, which was May 19, feels like it was a whole lifetime ago. And within weeks of finishing radiation and chemo, it was fast becoming a distant memory as well. I think the brain does what it needs to do to protect itself from the really bad stuff that happens to us.

I really enjoyed (if that's the right word) talking to complete strangers about my illness and treatment - totally different from talking to family or to my medical team. These were people that have absolutely no investment in me whatsoever, and I was trying really hard to get a "read" on how they were responding to me... sort of a dry run, I guess, for how the rest of my life might go, ya know? (I don't know if any of that makes sense, I'm just thinking out loud here.)

Stage IV SCC lt lateral tongue, surgery 5/19/08 (partial gloss/upper neck dissection left side/radial free flap reconstruction) IMRT w/weekly Cisplatin & Erbitux 6/30/08, PEG 1 6/12/08 - out 7/14 (in abdominal wall, not stomach), PEG 2 7/23/08 - out 11/20/08, Tx done 8/18/08
Second SCC tumor, Stage 1, rt mobile tongue, removed 10/18/2016, right neck dissection 12/9/2016
Third SCC tumor, diagnosed, 4/19/2108, rt submandibular mass, HPV-, IMRT w/ weekly Cisplatin, 5/9 - 6/25/2018, PEG 3 5/31/2018