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Marlene41 #121370 09-06-2010 05:34 AM
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It's such a shame that anyone has to join our ranks. I wish him all the best.


Patty
08-10-09 Partial Glossectomy w/suprahyoid neck dissection
SCC T1NOMX Stage I | 46 years old
RileyMc #121415 09-07-2010 12:25 AM
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love how he calls it throat cancer when it's technically oral cancer, doof. Base of tongue is still oral, not throat, and he said it hasn't spread anywhere else yet.

And this cancer is tough to detect. I went from november or 09 till march of 10 till I got a doc to even biopsy mine cuz they kept saying it didn't look like cancer.

His throat was sore and that was his complaint, so why would a doctor look at the base of his tongue for a sore throat? There is lots of referred pain with this type of cancer, at least there was for me. My whole tongue and throat hurt by the time I had surgery to have mine removed.

So it's not always the doctors fault when it goes undetected or misdiagnosed. Only way you truly know is a biopsy.


25/female at diagnosis
Dx;stage 3 SCC tongue 03/25/2010
Surgery 04/13/2010
Trach,ng tube, peg feeding tube
Hemiglossectomy, right side neck dissection, 40 lymph nodes removed. Free-Flap transplant to tongue.
30 rounds IMRT ended July 15,2010
bethers0808 #121421 09-07-2010 02:50 AM
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The positive thing is that when a celebrity gets an illness the spotlight is put on it when it should be there already but that is the way it is and until it changes the government that we put in should focus more on pirmary healtcare than trying so hard too baffle us with bullshit unfortunately it works. Much love and peace to michael and his family.



primary site tonsil
seven secs in throat
back teeth removed both sides
peg in
rad and chemo start sept fin oct 08
reg check-ups
so far so good

malo5 #121422 09-07-2010 04:02 AM
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CZJ needs get her act together.She could learn a lot from wives and partners on this forum who lead far less privelged lives and have far less opportunity to do some good regarding bringing positive public awareness to oral cancer. She needs to man up and give him all the support he needs which includes putting her own feelings to one side and sucking up the pain caused by watching someone we love going through this brutal treatment.


Liz in the UK

Husband Robin aged 44 years Dx 8th Dec 2006 poorly differentiated SCC tongue with met to neck T1N2cM0 Surgery and Radiation.Finished TX April 2007
Recurrence June/07 died July 29th/07.

Never take your eye off the ball, it may just smack you in the mouth.
Cookey #121423 09-07-2010 04:09 AM
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My thoughts exactly Cookey - and what makes her think any of this is about her?


Karen
Love of Life to Alex T4N2M0 SCC Tonsil, BOT, R lymph nodes
Dx March 2010 51yrs. Unresectable. HPV+ve
Tx Chemo x 3+1 cycles(cisplatin,docetaxel,5FU)- complete May 31
Chemoradiation (IMRTx35 + weekly cisplatin)
Finish Aug 27
Return to work 2 years on
3 years out Aug 27 2013 NED smile
Still underweight
klo #121427 09-07-2010 05:47 AM
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I truly believe it is unfair to judge her! I do know that I have said some thing's in my life that are totally taken the wrong way. She may be frightened as she has two young children & who expected this to happen. I feel sorry as they have no privacy & I do know I totally needed mine when dealing through this illness.She may be angry & I don't blame her one bit. My first diagnosis was simply a bacteria infection. Let us show some kindness & compassion, after all that is what we are here for.Plus they are going through the first stages of treatment & I do know I was a basket case & my caregiver hubby had enough to deal with. Money does not set us apart when it comes to cancer, It is still the same shit for all of us!


Stage 1V scc of toncil 12/1/09
Peg in 01/18/10
35 rads 3 cisplatin
tx ended 03/02/10
rozaroo #121429 09-07-2010 06:49 AM
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Sorry but she chose to speak to multiple reporters,no one forced her.Silence would have been more dignified if she feels so bad.We all felt frightened,angry, had issues with kids and the future,but one thing all the men and women here who are "caregivers" did, was support our men/women unreservedly and no matter how much we hated it we went to clinics appointments,and generally put our loved ones first,


Liz in the UK

Husband Robin aged 44 years Dx 8th Dec 2006 poorly differentiated SCC tongue with met to neck T1N2cM0 Surgery and Radiation.Finished TX April 2007
Recurrence June/07 died July 29th/07.

Never take your eye off the ball, it may just smack you in the mouth.
Cookey #121432 09-07-2010 08:23 AM
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[quote=Cookey]Sorry but she chose to speak to multiple reporters,no one forced her.Silence would have been more dignified if she feels so bad.We all felt frightened,angry, had issues with kids and the future,but one thing all the men and women here who are "caregivers" did, was support our men/women unreservedly and no matter how much we hated it we went to clinics appointments,and generally put our loved ones first, [/quote]

I agree 100% with you. I bought People and read the article. Catherine can't stand to watch her husband get chemo? She took her children to Bermuda??? WTF??? I can't imagine being anywhere else but by John's side while he endured these terrible treatments. He used to tell me not to bother wasting my time spending my lunch hour with him while he was having chemo. He was treated in the same hospital I work at. I didn't consider it "wasting" my time, I wanted to be there, I felt bad that I had to work and couldn't spend the entire time with him. As a "caregiver" it tears your heart out to watch someone you love so much go through so much but that is what loving someone means, BEING THERE!!!

She has no clue what Michael is in store for. It's easy to be there during the good times. Hopefully she will step up and be there for him or I guess she can always hire someone to do that. I wish Michael all the best and hope he makes a full recovery.

Having gone through this terrible disease has most definitely strengthened the love and commitment John and I have for each other but I guess the reality is it can also tear a not so strong bond apart.


Wanda (47) caregiver to husband John (56) age at diag.(2009)
1-13-09 diagnosed Stage IV BOT SCC (HPV+)
2-12-09 PEG placed, 7-6-09 removed
Cisplatin 7 weeks, 7 weeks (35) IMRT
4-15-09 - treatment completed
8-09,12-09-CT Scans clear, 4-10,6-11-PET Scans clear
4-2013 - HBO (30 dives) tooth extraction
10-2019 - tooth extraction, HBO (10 dives)
11-2019 - Left lateral tongue SCC - Stage 2
slim #121434 09-07-2010 10:20 AM
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In my experiences (more so with my 20 years of MS than with my short time with Cancer) her reaction is more the norm than the exception. It's always seemed to me that it's harder to be the caregiver than the one who is sick. I don't think you guys truly realize how exceptional you are--and that just makes you more exceptional-because you are doing it because "that is just what you do" it sucks, it's not pretty--but, you do it anyway.

I've had almost everyone "important" crap out on me when I've gotten sick--including both my sisters. I sent this link to them when I was diagnosed and neither one of them even bothered to acknowledge that they recieved it. My husband who has been awesome throughout all the MS stuff over the years went DEEP into Denial land when I was DX'd with the cancer and partially crapped out on me--which was the real reason I went to my mother's house for the two weeks after my surgery--because she is the only one who has NEVER crapped out on me. All of the above have been "unable to handle it because they love me so much" and I used to be more compassionate for them. My response now is that it must be nice to have the luxury of choice. I don't have a choice, I HAVE to handle it. In my more irreverant moments (most of the time) my response is "well, please, don't love me so much" LOL

But anyway, all of this is to make a point--the caregivers on here--you have a strength and courage that the average person just doesn't have--remember...
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.
~Ambrose Redmoon~

and

Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.
~ Author Unknown ~

A TRUE hero, is an ordinary person, who does extraordinary things.

You my friends, are all true heroes.
Be well,
Michele




SCC, R Lateral tongue, T1N0M0, Diag: 3/15/10
38 yrs old at diag HPV Neg, Non Smoker Non Drinker
4/12/10 Partial Glossectomy, No Rads or Chemo
7/15/10 excision biopsy L mid posterior tongue - NEGATIVE

Michele71 #121440 09-07-2010 03:08 PM
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As badly as I feel for MD, whom I have always admired as an actor, I could not help but think that the publicity surrounding his diagnosis might give oral cancer a "Rock Hudson" moment, resulting in a much higher profile for a disease that seems to get little public attention even though several famous people, including George Harrison and Bruce Paltrow died from it.
I also went through a period of hoarseness in my throat, and something just not being right, that no doctor or dentist seemed all that concerned about. Nowadays they think that everything is reflux. Although I do not blame my periodontist who unsuccessfully tried to look down my throat at my request or my radiologist buddy, who was also unsuccessful at the same, I do wonder why, when people complain of sore throats, hoarseness, etc., more doctors or ENT's don't just stick that scope down the patient's nose. Once I finally went to the ENT, he ordered a barium swallow and Xray, that allowed my radiologist friend to pretty well diagnose my situation, but the next day when the ENT stuck that scope down my nose for the first time, it was glaringly obvious that I had a large tumor at the base of my tongue. Most of us here have had that scope stuck down our noses many times on routine Dr. visits, and although we don't like it, it is just not that bad, so I wonder why doctors don't use it more liberally. Of course a good ENT with training in oral cancer can often feel deformities in the neck nodes or down in the throat with his hands.

I join you in wishing MD the best. He is 10 years older than I was when I began my oral cancer journey, and we all know what a difficult road it is at any age.


Stage IV Base of Tongue SCC
Diagnosed July 1, 2002, chemo and radiation treatments completed beginning of Sept/02.
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