Hello!
Just found this site this morning. I'm so glad, I know it will be a great tool to be able to read and ask questions to those of you that have already gone through this journey!

My name is Elizabeth, I am 29 years old. I from San Antonio, Texas but I am getting treated at MD Anderson in Houston. I was diagnosed on March 27th of 2009 with a Low Grade Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma (Salivary Gland), its classified as a T4N2M0. I have no history at all, never drank or smoked. My only exposure to chemicals is to chemo because I'm also an Oncology nurse. Yes...you read that right, I take care of cancer patients for a living and now I am one of them! I had very little symptoms, a little trismus but I could feel a small lymph node enlargement on the right side of my neck (drs have a hard time feeling for it but scans show it is there). The only other symptom is some right ear discomfort, dating back after my 2nd daughter was born (about 3 years ago), I would get it checked out and it was either an ear infection or ear wax buildup. It wasn't until I was pregnant with my 3rd daughter that things progressed, and when she was 6 months old is when I went to see my PCP and he noticed the mass on the right side of my tonsil. He was amazed that I had no problems swallowing or sore throats, choking on food. I've seen numerous doctors even ones I work with but MDA is the best at this and especially since my CA is a rarer gem, this is the place I felt I needed to be.

I've been through 3 round of chemo, I'm scheduled for surgery on June 30th and then I will have radiation (+/- cisplatin). As far as surgery, it looks like they will do a free flap intraorally and have mandible reconstruction, take some of the right base of my tongue as well as the tonsils. Neck dissection as well, I will be trached and have a PEG placed. I meet with the head and neck surgeon again tomorrow and tonight I'm trying to write down my questions, last I saw him I was still in a bit of shock form the news that I didn't ask anything, I couldn't believe he wanted to take my jaw!! I've gotten copies of my CT scan and don't see anything about it invading my jawbone, so I'll be asking him why he wants to remove it.

Has anyone on here had a Salivary Cancer? All the drs I saw thought for sure I had SCCA but after two biopsies and different pathologists looking at it, it was confirmed that I didn't.

I look forward to getting to know everyone on here!!!