Hi Elizabeth,
Sorry to hear of your recent dignosis butI'm glad you've found this site. Its been very very helpful to me.My MO was at MD Anderson for awhile before he came to Cal Pacific/ UCSF. I'm glad you are under the best of care for your condition.

I knwo with younger patients the tendency so to be as aggressive as possible and to avoid any possibility of recurrance. Maybe they have identified a possibility that it may have invaded the jawbone? Severla people ehre have had the jawbone replacement surgery and I know that it has gone well and been successful for most of them. Being young you will fare better than someone in thier older years... When they told me they were going to have to take almost all of my tongue and use some of my forearm muscles I was just baffled by how it could all possibly work and how I would ever possibly recover! eat again talk again... but you just put one foot in front of the other and put your trust in the Drs. who know this disease well and build a strong network of friends and family you will get through it.

I have recoverd very very well for all that I've been through. You body will heal itself and adapt and compromise.

The most important thing is to get the cancer out and gone forever.

I'm very sorry that you are going through this. I'm glad you have an excellent medical staff and supportive and loving family.Must be a very surreal going through this as an oncology nurse I can imagine.

We are here for you! I am praying for a very successful outcome with your treatments and upcoming surgery.

KATE