My ENT surgeon just called and moved my recurrence treatment planning meeting to tomorrow afternoon after realizing her staff had only slotted me for 15 minutes which would have left only time for a monologue: "Hi - it's Cancer again - cutting it out this time - see ya in hospital"
When I took our Italy trip in Sept to celebrate being cancer free for 9 months, I posted our plans/hotels etc on Trip Advisor and got an amazing improvement suggestion that transformed our trip plus validation of all the other aspects. So here is what I plan on discussing with her tomorrow (my wife will be along to take notes and listen when I get too emotionally involved and hear what I want to hear)
1. With a new lump now on the lower side of the tongue where we could actually feel it with my finger clinically cancer - is partial glossectomy my best bet at "beating it"?
2. Would some CO2 laser surgery on tongue be better than scalpel?
3. What percentage of tongue are you planning on removing (1/8;1/4;1/2)?
4. How urgent is this surgery? Can it be delayed for expert flap surgeon?
5. How many glossectomies have you done?
6. How many flap reconstructions have you or a co surgeon done?
7. What are the odds on �Tin Man Syndrome�? (multiple serial glossectomies as some OCF posters had)
8. What assistance can your office provide in getting second opinion
9. What�s the SWAG risk benefit: how long would I have if I do nothing? Do I only get an extra 5 weeks?
10. Can you do a �selective� Neck Dissection that operates on fewer areas, preserving function in the shoulder, and can sometimes leave the sensory nerves, preventing numbness, especially in the earlobe.
11. Can you do a neck dissection that still removes tissue from all five levels, BUT sparing the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the spinal accessory nerve and the internal jugular vein ?
12. Should I be changing RO and MO since prescribed TX didn�t do the trick?
13. How long in hospital?
14. How long recuperation?
15. Ability to Speak?
16. Ability to swallow?



Those are my first cut at 16 Sweet questions (bad pun but after all 61 is just sweet sixteen ass backwards). Any comments on tone, tenor and most of all CONTENT welcome.
Thanks