ok.. new to site, message board & I think it's a wonderful thing!! only wish I had found it a few weeks back...OK.. discovered a lump in the roof of my mouth (back in the soft palate) in June this year, went to dentist, then Oral Surgeon, then ENT who did a biopsy on 6/28.. 7/5 got the results of Cancer.. was sent to another ENT who does alot of surgery for Oral cancers..he said surgery would be minor, I should be back to work in a few days, maybe a week out at the most (yeah right!)..ok, I went for the CAT scan, had already had a MRI done.. so we scheduled the surgery for 7/30 (wonderful Birthday present!).. I woke up to the new found knowledge that I am allergic to Morphine! and that I now am the proud owner of a new hole in my mouth that goes up into my sinus cavity (very yucky!) I am in the process of getting an obtrator(sp?) that will allow me to speak better by covering the hole in my mouth so that's good. I am learning how to eat & drink without drowning myself and still haven't returned to work!.. well anyway went back to Dr's last week and found that there are microscopic findings in the edges of my 'removed site' and he is pretty much leaving it up to me as to what I want him to do. These are the options he gave me:
1) Do Nothing until some thing grows that he can see.
2) Have him trim the edges and see what pathology says this time
3) have all edges trimmed and have my lymph nodes removed as they are always swollen and throat sore all the time now

Any suggestions, comments?.. sorry this is so long but I'm really confused

Hi NewandConfused,

Welcome. Let me be the first, among many others I'm sure, to say - GET YOURSELF TO A CANCER CENTER AND SEE AN ONCOLOGIST!!

Being in Connecticut, you have many choices - Dana Farber and Mass General in Boston, Sloan Kettering in New York, Johns Hopkins in Maryland. These are National Cancer Institute Cancer Centers (except for Mass General, I think) and all have 1-800 self-referral phone numbers.

You need a second opinion. Round up all films, slides and reports and take them with you when you go for your appointment.

My mother has squamous cell lung cancer in the tonsillar pillar that spread to her soft palate. She also has cervical lymph node involvement. She is on her last week of radiation and finished her 6th chemo last week. This is a 71 yr old, 96 lb. woman who so far has come through like a trooper. You can to!

That's my advice. Let us know what other questions you may have. Also, take a look at previous posts to get a feel of what others have been through and done for this.
And do research on the internet - you are looking for "squamous cell carcinoma" or "head and neck cancer". Being knowledgeable about the disease is one of your best defenses.

Best wishes.

Cynthia