I am 25 years old. Was in nursing school and a CNA when I was diagnosed on March 25th, 2010. Stage 3 SCC on the right side of my tongue.
They did a PET/CT scan and saw 1 lymph node on the right side of my neck lit up.

They did surgery on April 13, 2010 and did a Hemiglossectomy(removed right half of my tongue).

Free-flap transplant(piece of skin and blood vessels from my right forearm removed and formed to tongue to replace removed).

Right side neck dissection where they removed 40 lymph nodes, and only 1 had cancer

I was in the hospital for 8 days. Very bad experience, felt neglected and abused.

I had to go back to ER on 4/25/2010 because my trach was falling out and I was having a hard time with my feeding tube. They did a xray and feeding tube was in my duodenum. They also put straps around my neck to hold the trach in.

trach was pulled 4/26/2010. NG tube was pulled 4/30/2010.

On may 1,2010 my neck incision popped open and started oozing foul smelling pus, so I rushed back to er and was admitted for 5 days to try to drain and clear up the staph infection. They put the ng tube back in on the 1st, that was very hard for me.

May 10, 2010 they removed the ng tube again, and now I am looking at radiation that they are thinking will start in a month.

I am trying to find others to talk to who have gone through what I am going through or something close to it. None of my family or friends seem to understand why this is so hard.

Beth,

You have come to the right place. If there is one place you can go to on the net and have a lively, and very serious, discussion about large neck incisions, infections and lousy hospital stays, this is it.

We get all ages here, but hate it when new members are as young as you are. The good news is that you will find a few here that are in your age group going throught the very same thing. You will find a community here that does and will understand exactly what you are going through..

Poat as often as you feel the need.

Thank you. Every doctor says I should look at it as a blessing being diagnosed so young, cuz I will heal faster, but if it doesn't go the way I want and hope it to go, I won't have experienced much of life. Kinda lost, but thats why I came here. Hoping to find others that can help me find some peace and people to talk to who understand how hard this truly is.

Unfortunately more and more are coming here just like you and I'll bet you don't have a tobacco history.

As Kelly has told you this is the best site and Foundation, bar none for you to ask questions, learn valuable treatment and recovery info from people that have been there and done it. We are a passionate group and it's contagious.

This post was from Dianne MH and I moved from a dulpicate topic that you started. I'm new to this editing stuff so I couldn't quite figure out how to move it properly but I'll get it.

Hi Beth, I hate to see you so upset, but then again, I don't blame you. You are too young to have to deal with this rotton cancer. I don't think I have ever hated anything so much in my life. I am 54 & I whine because of all the stuff I can't eat anymore, the constant dry mouth and the fear. We all think about "it" coming back. But, you know what..our state of mind has such an impact on our health. Please think of all the good that has happened. They caught it, removed it and more treatment is still to come to keep it away. Think how lucky we are that we have the benefits of modern medical advances!

Try to look at the cup half full (with water!) I know, it's not fair honey, but it is what it is. There is no fair reason why you have to deal with this, but you are not alone. We are all in this with you & understand all the emotions, so you vent whenever you want to. If nothing else, at least you sure earned that privilege!
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BOT T3N2M0 No surgery, 38radiation treatments,4 chemo rounds, peg removed 11/08, still have a port. Treatments ended 6/20/08. So far, so Good ! "I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much !"

Kelly wrote: "Poat as often as you feel the need."
lol
Poat, post or pout - this is the place to do it, and the good thing is that people here really do understand. You've come to the right place for support while you battle the beast. We're all rooting for you!

Marlene

Welcome to the boards Beth!

Sad to have you hear, especially being so young. No one in your family is really going to understand unless they've been there, and that's what we are here for, so use us. This site helped me out alot during treatment (and post tx) and it was nice to read that someone here was bound to have gone through something similar in certain situations.

You can do it, we are here to support ya!