Thanks everyone for your positive thought and encouragement! We will stay positive and focused on getting rid of this cancer!!

Hi David,
I am new here. I was reading the about HPV. Is it that contagious? a person get through kissing or drinking from some elses glass. We are a monogamous couple it is actually insane how he got this virus. Can the spouse get it too ?

Roma,

Click on the HPV and read all about it.

Roma

Before you get too freaked out, even if you got an HPV infection it does NOT mean you would get oral cancer. When you read about how easy it is to spread HPV and the connection with oral cancer, you would expect this board to be full of sad sad stories about how our spouses all now have HPV and oral cancer. Yet it simply is not happening.

Personal example: While my tumor tested positive for HPV, my wife's cervical swabs all test negative for HPV. Yet we have been married for 26 years, faithful to each other the entire time and have had a very active sex life (still do). I sometimes worry that new readers will think they have to stop having sex whether they are caretakers or oral cancer patients. Short and sweet answer to your real question;
Oral Cancer is NOT CONTAGIOUS to spouses.
Hope this makes you feel better
charm

Thanks again to all of you. Today we got know the results the lab slides showing my husband is HPV -. Cancer is only because of smoking,the doctor said.
Thank you all for your help and support. Cant thank enough for what i have learned here.

I got genitle warts when I was 13.I was a virgin & believe I got it from using the same towel my mother used after a shower,or the toilet seat.My mother got it from my step-dad.I had them removed.Then when I was 17 I got them again,but this time they went away on their own.In 2003 I noticed a white bumpy lesion at the back of my throat.Had a surgeon look at it ,he said it was "eckasia?"from my sinuses draining.2 days ago I saw an ENT Dr.& was told it could be cancer from the HPV virus.I am terrified!I don't have insurance & am trying to find a Dr.to do the biopsy that I can make payments to.I live in rural eastern Or.with not to many options.I'm having pain in my ear & jaw on the side of the legion,but have also had pain & swelling on the other side for several years which the Drs. said was my muscle swollen from fibromyalgia,insomnia & stress.Am so angry with these Days.I am also in remission from Hepatitis-C.The drugs for that were chemo-like,suppressed my immune system,gave me alot of side-affects,arthritis,gout & I believe triggered this HPV in my throat.I am 54.Any ideas out there?Thank-you,have been crying for 2 days now,funds are limited,don't qualify for any state or govt.help,what to do,what to do???

Were/are you a tobacco user?

HPV normally attacks the cells in the back of the tongue or the tonsils. It also usually shows up in men. I said "usually" so that doesn't mean always. The only way to confirm HPV or not is to first be confirmed as having cancer and then the slides can be further tested for HPV. Forget the HPV right now and focus on finding out if you have cancer.

Anne,
I can relate to your comment about the futility of the blame game...and to try finding out the cause/origination of the virus. However, imagine my shock when our ENT/Surgeon said to me after John's biopsy (he was still in recovery) and HPV+ diagnosis, "Have you had any abnormal pap tests? (No) .. well I don't want to cause any problems in your marriage, but, you know, this is a sexually transmitted virus!"
Not knowing a thing at that point about HPV, I was speechless.

Bonnie

Bonnie,

You could have acquired HPV, passed it on and then cleared it within your body before it was ever detected by a PAP. Much is known about HPV but MUCH more isn't.