Hi

After tongue surgery last December and neck surgery and removal of nodes that were negative in January 2011, I am feeling mild irritation at the site of my lesion which was removed (left side at the base of the tongue), and seem to be running low on energy. I am trying to stay calm, but that dreadful feeling is back! Can cancerous lesion re-occur so soon? To make matter worse, I forgot to ask my Doctor to refill my clonazapam prescription for mild bipolar condition that I have been taking for 10 years or so! Have to wait until Monday! Head spinning, Hungary, but can't get the courage nor the energy up to go and buy food. I am sack full of mess!

NMT,


The first thing we need to do is get you to breath a bit...try it with me...deep breath, in through your nose, exhale slowly through your mouth. Deep cleansing breaths, each breath try and let your anxiety go, exhaled with each breath.

Fear, anxiety, worry...all those feelings do is ruin the time that you have right now to enjoy. If you have a feeling that something is amiss, schedule an appt with your ENT and keep reminding yourself that it's NOT cancer until a biopsy says it is. Until you can get that done and the results of the biopsy, if needed, get it out of your thoughts and focus on "right now".

Right now, get your mind off of it. There's nothing you can do at the moment anyway so get control of your thoughts and emotions, focus them on something else. Focus on what you love in your life and only allow yourself to think about the other stuff after you've seen your ENT. It's hard, but trust me it's not impossible.

Breath and believe you are clear and that right now you have your life to live. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow so let's focus on the now.

Keep your chin up...dig deep and find strength and peace, it's there if you choose to tap into it.

Eric

Oh and NMT...clonazepam is a benzo and if you've taken it for 10 years and have been without regular dosage for a couple of days, you may very well be going through withdrawels. Symptoms will be anxiety and even hallucinations, psychosis etc. Here's a link for you for a full list that may help you identify if you are or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonazepam#Withdrawal-related


It may not be a bad idea to hit an emergency room if you think this is what is happening to you. Calling a friend or family member isn't a bad idea either.

Eric

Sorry you're having this scare - try to relax until you know for sure! I know that's easier said than done - believe me I'm where you are - I think we all are - when it comes to fear of recurrence - but worrying will strip you of any joy you can have - call your ENT Monday - get in ASAP just to help assuage your own fears. I am a little confused as to where your pain is - you said base of tongue - as in down the back of your throat? Or under your oral tongue? It's possible you've pulled a stitch (I still have them and they can last up to six months) my tongue is still quite sore mind you I've ave chem and rads up until 2 weeks ago so those are the main culprits likely - but it could be anything - take care and good luck tomorrow!

Cheryl, Eric

Thanks for the good words. I sort of gathered myself, and yes, Missing my clonzapam for two days gets me agitated. THanks for the link Eric,


Cheryl, I am glad that you told me about stiches, It may be just that. I did not know they last for such a long time (Well in my case its only 4.5 to 5 months).

Anyway its Monday here I will make an appointment and get the refills.

I thank you both.

MNT

well my surgery was Feb 4 - - a couple of weeks later I freaked out because there was this thing on my tongue - like a hole - it looked like it was stitch related but I wasn't sure - so after much trial and error I got in to see my surgeon - he told me it was a stitch - they're supposed to dissolve within 6 months -.but sometimes they don't and become troublemakers that have to be removed - now last night I was okay but when I was coughing I did something to he left side of my tongue - and all of a sudden i could actually feel the stitches way at the back - - I actually think I got my pain pill stuck in there then coughed it out because it didn't kick in The way it normally does. So I waited an hour or 2 and then took another one which helped immensely - right now my mouth is a very mysterious place! Good luck -

NMT,

It is okay to be worried. If you feel something is not right, then tell your doctors right away. Can you ask them for additional scans? Try to stay calmed and relaxed but do get all the check ups you can so that you can really know what's going on and for your peace of mind. Best of luck!

First things first: GET YOUR MEDS RIGHT AWAY - do not worry about waiting until Monday. It is extremely difficult to deal with other issues when that one clouds every issue.

Having said that, being worried is extremely normal. Why don't you get an appointment and have an exam, and assuming they say all is well - ask them for specific things you should be watching for. Explain your uncertainty to them - they truly DO understand as do we.

Let us know how things go..

Hugs

Donna