Hello friends,
I was diagnosed in February of '06 with Stage 2/3 SCC of the lateral/base of the tongue. I soon thereafter found this web site and starting reading and asking questions. It was a great source of encouragement and information. At the end of March I started treatment - 35 IMRT days and 3 rounds of Cisplatin.
Once I got into the treatment I was so sick and out of it that I kind of 'fell off' the OCF forum - I usually just didn't feel like getting on the computer and frankly I didn't even have the desire to be on the site any more. Despite being able to read about, and communicate with, others going through the same thing, it still felt very lonely at home in bed while my wife was as work and kids were at school. I was just kind of in a bad fog, kind of cutting myself off from the world, which, I felt was going on without me.

I could never have imagined all the 'side challenges' that come with this disease and treatment - the medication problems, the trips to the ER, the infections - there's so much that is specific to the individual and I don't see how anybody could have warned me about all those challenges. It was kind of like - treatment was hard enough, and then on top of that you have these problems that arise 'as a result of' treatment. Wow, it's been a ride.

I finished treatment in late May. I found, as many others have said, that I didn't hit bottom physically until sometime in June. There was some part of me that was convinced the day I ended treatment I'd start feeling better - but you guys were right, that's just not realistic. By mid-June I was at the lowest point I've ever been in my life. I truly felt like I couldn't go on. Honestly I considered NOT going on.

But I got through and within a couple of months I started feeling like I was on the upswing. I was still on a PEG tube because everything tasted so horrible.

In early October I finally started eating - I found some things I could eat that tasted ok - not good but ok. I had a PET scan about three weeks ago to determine the success of treatment. It came back suspicous. So, I had a biopsy last week and my follow-up was yesterday.
No sign of cancer!! I'm in remission!!

I know this is still just the beginning of the journey and nobody knows what tomorrow holds, but for now I consider my treatment a success and I'm living strong. I had them pull the PEG tube out - that was a huge OOWWEEE but it was worth it to have the thing out after all those months.

I'll still be around. Since like many of you I'll be tied at the hip to my doc for the next five years at least, I'm still one of you and I'll be lurking on the boards...trying to help when I can.

I just wanted to thank you folks for the replies I've gotten to questions and frustrations - and to all the good information and most of all, caring, that resides in this forum. It has been a huge source of encouragement to my wife and I both.

thanks
Steve

LIVESTRONG!!