I just wanted to say hello.
I'm an American, living in Brazil and have been diaagnosed with throat cancer. I live in the Porto Alegre area and am being treated at the Santa Casa Hos�tal Complex. I have surgery scheduled for Feb. 11 and will have 5 glundular tumors removed and part of my epiglotis, which also has a tumor. Then I will do radiation therapy, some physical therapy and learn how to eat again. Probably not in that order. Then I wil be coming back to the US and visit for a while and do follow up at the Veterans Hospital in Palo Alto, CA.
I was relieved to hear, just today, that I will not need chemo. What I was told though is that in order to remove the lymph nodes, they will have to cut muscles and nerves to my right arm. I will temporarily lose some use and feeling, but with therapy will regain most of it.
I'm lucky that my doctors actually speak English, because my Portuguese is not perfect. I'm told that Santa Casa is like the cancer institute in Brazil, so I guess I'm in good hands.
What I have learned from this is that: I shall not give up ! Keep my sense of humor and all will be okay.
Thank you for being here for all of us.