| | Joined: Jul 2009 Posts: 1 Member | OP  Member
Joined: Jul 2009 Posts: 1 | Hi everyone - I am a 39 year old female with two small kids (8 & 5) and what is sad is I was misdiagnosed and walked around w/ a malignancy in my body for two years. I went to a doctor about a small mass on the back of my jaw below my ear lobe. He ordered an MRI and his staff called to inform me the MRI was negative and to just watch the tumor and if it gets bigger or bothers me to come back. After the tumor on my jaw began to bother me TWO YEARS later I returned to the doctor. I began to second guess him so I switch to another doctor who I feel saved my life. He immediately scheduled surgery and removed the tumor which was low grade Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma. They removed all the tumor and surrounding tissue and lymph nodes and all margins were clear but given this malignancy was in my body for two years, what is the chance it could have spread? | | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | The normal spread goes from your Primary site to the nodes in your neck usually on the side where the Primary is. Since your nodes appear to be clear it would be unusual for the cancer cells to have escaped beyond them. I wouldn't dwell on the cancer but certainly have anything checked out in the future that doesn't seem right.
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
| | | | | Joined: Aug 2009 Posts: 6 Member | | Member
Joined: Aug 2009 Posts: 6 | I am so sorry about your misdiagnose...I know you are scared about the spreading. I had surgery in July and they removed 39 lymph nodes and all were clear. I think the stigma of it spreading is always with us....and I am learning from the other wonderful people on this site that it is how you choose to live with that fear that counts. You are in my thoughts!
Kerri M, 41
6/12/09 Tongue Cancer SCC stage 2
7/2/09 Partial Glossectomy clear margins
modified radical neck dissection
39 lymph nodes removed- all clear
7/31/12 Tongue Cancer Stage 1 (unrelated to first diagnosis)
8/6/12 Partial Glossectomy clear margins
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | Welcome to OCF. Im sorry you were not treated sooner. The most important thing about your post is that you are here and able to write the post. As a mother of young children, you are very blessed with being successfully treated. Please do not worry about a recurrance. It will steal your time away from you. Worrying will not keep it away if its going to come back. If that would happen, you have been thru it once and this time are more knowledgable and it would get caught much earlier than before. Keep going to your regular checks and tests. Best of luck with a cancer free future 
ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive | | |
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