Hi all. I'm in the terrible limbo of waiting for diagnosis. I saw a dentist Wednesday to have a couple broken teeth removed. He saw two white lesions and wanted to biopsy them immediately. He was a very abrupt man and said he is 100% sure by a visual exam that they are cancerous. That floored me. I opted to see my MD the next day. He concurs that I am in need of a biopsy, but said the dentist is probably more familiar with mouth lesions than he. He referred me to an ENT for this coming Monday, and a Gastro-Enterologist for the following Monday. I told him of the pain I've been having in my jaw/ear, some hearing loss, and difficulty swallowing lately. So I've not had a biopsy as yet, but I already feel as if I've had the bad news. I can see my lesions. They are about the size of a penny, very white, irregular shaped and smoothish looking, on my gums in the back.

Anyway, I guess the waiting is the hardest part. Knowing allows a plan of action. How long in general does it take after an initial visit with an ENT to find out something concrete?

By the way, it's very nice to meet you all. Sorry to come in slinging so many questions. I'll be reading this forum all night.

Thanks.

Rita

Rita, I believe that my biopsy results were in about a week maybe a little more. Stay active and stay positive. This site is for information and emotional help. If you were up all night reading the posts, Im sure you gained a lot of information. We have all had different areas of our mouths, tongues, tonsils, etc. that have been effected by cancer. We all seem to have had different types of treatments. I know it is hard, but try to stay calm and cross the cancer bridge when and if you come to it. Good luck and we are all here to help. Take care. Anne.

Rita:

Be very glad that you saw a doctor who was concerned enough to send you for a biopsy immediately. It is better to be pursuing this now than several months from now.

It took about a week for the results of my mother's biopsy results, but it was one of the longest weeks we've ever spent.

Good luck.

Welcome, Rita. This is the best place for you to come right now. We have all been through the waiting. Just one caution: if you are a smoker, it would be in your best interest to quit right now. I know that is easier said than done, but it is the smoke that irritates the tissues. If you are not a smoker, join the club of those of us who cannot figure out how we were chosen. As you can see from your reading, nothing is off limits, so ask any questions you may have and it is sure that you will have an answer. As Anne says, we are all here to help.
Joanna

Okay, if nothing is off-limits, here goes. I've been wondering about something. I totally admire all of you who opt for every treatment available to sustain your life. I may come off as a chicken and don't want to insult anyone. But is there any information available about what happens if you opt out of treatment? I have something in me that just can't even fathom taking the step of radical surgery. My mind is sorting information and I just want to know what I might expect if this is cancer and I refuse surgery? Of course, I will die. That's not what I'm asking. I guess what I'm asking is will my disease progression be as painful/disfiguring as surgery? Does anyone know of anyone going this route?

I feel as if I'm asking for the coward's route from the brave. But I just want ALL the info in my bag of weaponry.

Gosh I hope I'm not asking too much as a nosey newbie waiting for a diagnosis. Thanks so much for any info you can give.

Rita

Rita,

Before we saw the radiation oncologist and found out what he would recommend, my mother, who is 84, had already decided that she would not have radiation therapy. Her decision was based on her age (84) and the fact that the recuperation from the radiation would be tough and take a long time. Turns out the oncologist didn't think she needed radiation. My advice: don't make decisions before it's time to do so.

I think any decision that is made by someone who has plenty of information and a clear idea of the cost/benefits of the treatment in their particular case IS a brave decision. But wait until the time comes and get as much info as possible. The folks who have *been there* on this site can be a helpful sounding board.

Thank you, Sandra. After my post I thought about how crass it may have sounded. I don't want to appear as though I'm giving up before the ship is launched. But your eloquent statement summed it up. When armed with good info, weighing options is the brave thing to do. And refusing treatment certainly is on the list of options. I may be facing an ENT soon who is going to give me a list of decisions to make. I just want to know what is entailed in any decision I make. I'm sure he'll be of great help too in that process. Thank you for being here. I'm looking forward to some strong shoulders in the days to come.

Rita

Rita, Just one more suggestion, make sure you have someone with you that can take notes and ask questions, as well as yourself. My mind got boggled with all of the suggestions and possibilities. I can't say that you will be real rational about what you say or do. I will tell you that I called my Doctors every name in the book. It was only the rationality of my husband that brought me through this entire ordeal. I really have to laugh now, I told them that they were all liers and that was after the surgery. We all laugh about it now, they didn't lie, I just wasn't listening. The shock of the entire thing turned off my hearing mechanism. Again, please take someone with you for all of your appointments. Living with a portion of you tongue and scars and the effects of RAD and/or Chemo are better than being dead. Good luck, take care. Anne.

Hi,I get such a kick out of Anne, she tells it like it is! I did what she did, I told my dentist no way do I need a biopsy, my husband forced me to go to the oral surgeon, He did two biopsys the first one was non cancer,sometimes inside a growth hides squamous cell. Second biopsy said cancer, I walked into my ENT's office and said your all crazy, I have some kind of infection. They did the big tests then to get ready for surgery and I had to believe all those machines and Doctors couldn't be lying. I also toyed with the idea of not doing ANYTHING, It was my choice, of course my husband and kids had a great deal to say about this! What changed my mind , and anything goes right guys, My Dr. said you don't want to do that, it will start to grow outside of your face. At that point surgery scars and problems did not seem so bad. Maybe he just wanted to scare me,it worked! One of the best things i have gotten from reading about others on this board is my reactions are not odd but human, no matter what age, male or female everyone especially at first thinks, What am I going to look like? Thats not vain it's normal. To have a choice is also a right, but so many people here and also with other types of cancer are beating the odds, there are all kind of new methods that can be used, and as you can see they can rebuilt all kinds of face problems after surgery.I was talking to a friend this morning whose daughter was in a car accident. Her entire face was smashed .They are slowly but surely giving her a face back, new jaw, new nose, forehead, cheekbones, teeth implants for all the ones that were knocked out. Everytime I talk to her I think , Good Heavens anything is possible. Her plastic surgeon is also mine so I hope he can do as much for me. DON"t give up too soon, there is a lot out there. gnelson

Thanks, gnelson. That's the sort of thing I need to know that will influence my decision making. I've seen internet pics of some pretty graphic stuff in third world countries where oral cancer is rampant, but I wondered if that was always the case, when left unchecked. Tomorrow's the big day. I'm actually anxious to get there and get this ball rolling. I'm still in a lot of pain from my extractions, and am hoping to get some pain meds in the process. I'm such a pain wimp it's unbelievable.

Thanks for the heads up and telling it like it is.

Rita