I saw previews, looks too scary for me! I'm still trying to overcome my fear of men in white lab coats! FYI a woman may (@times) have a fork tongue, but for the most part has a heart of gold!!! Enjoying a sunny, chilly day in upstate NY !

David, we ladies know where you live...........
(muhahahahaaaa)

Pandora, I can't believe someone would say that ("thank goodness it's not breast cancer") - they have no idea how very damaging this cancer is, or how it can affect the very "face" you put to the world. Hope you educated this person. Thank goodness for Brian and Gary (site originators) and now David (who earned his "red letters") and others who are setting the world straight about oral cancer. Thanks to each of you!

So rude! Bother are terrible cancers but oral cancer effects you speech taste social life- just everyday life getting by- talking on the phone-- simple thing...Boobs smoobs... I'd give both for my tongue back any day of the week!

The last time I ssaw my oncologist for a checkup he had two residents in there and one of them said to me-- oh you have an accent!

I was like-- are you kidding me? You have my medical file in your hands- you know what I went through-- its not an accent its a speech impediment!

unbelievable. I think people just don't know what to say and they think they get nervous and just blurt out something they think is helpful or comforting...when often it isn't

David....extraterrestrial????!!!! BYW, congrats on becoming a monitor. You've earned it!

Misskate, I've been watching my Mom go through the terrible treatments, the loss of swallowing, the PEG, they've done everything they can with a prosthesis so now she has a hard time being understood and writes a lot of things down on dry erase boards. I asked her the other day what she wanted for Christmas and it was heartbreaking to hear her say "a drink of water". Just to be able to sit in a room and socialize with others, even with a glass of water in hand - I didn't realize all the different impacts there were. On Nov. 10 she has another swallow test scheduled. I'm not trying to get my hopes up but I am saying lots of prayers and asking others to do the same. I would LOVE to be able to give my mom a glass of water so, so badly.

Okay, so I just heard a good one. I was in one of my man special ed meetings. Had a grandparent tell the story of her daughter and her surprising death, she had an ear infection that turned into meningitis, tragic I know. This grandmother, knowing i had cancer and why we had to get the meeting done so quickly, said "We wish she would have had cancer so we could spend more time with her." I just about lost it in that meeting.

You better hope she doesn't start hanging around you more!

I am so glad this particular thread has shown staying power in this forum. I think we all need to share the frustrations and yes the humor in our new normal. Keep up the good work people and let's continue to share the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that we endure daily.

I hate it when someone tries to tell me that there are other alternatives to chemo. They are talking about unproven facts. I posted about this in my blog.