I�ve been fighting a bout of Thrush for the past few weeks. I was prescribed some tablets to kill it off a month ago but must have stopped too soon as it returned a few weeks ago. I had some pain associated with it so I thought it was just taking a long time to clear up. On Saturday the Pain was really bad so I took out a pen light and had a good look. I found a nickel sized spot that looked like a white puffy spot on the right bottom side of my soft palet (just below my first cancer site). I thought it was a leftover spot of Thrush and doubled up on the thrush tablets over the long weekend to try and finish it off.

I was able to get in to see my GP today as the tablets were having no effect and the spot was really killing me pain wise. The GP was able to get a sample of some of the white crud on the spot and get a slide. He looked at that and said it was not thrush, just what he normally sees filmed over ulcers. He said the whole thing looked like an ulcer. I had to agree with that as it certainly felt as painful as any ulcer I have had. He is referring me to a local ENT as I will not go back to see my old one here and the University of Pittsburgh is quite a drive.

He said it could be a return of cancer and that it did not look good but it could also be any number of other things. The fact that I had a clear PET scan a month ago and that this particular spot started hurting a few weeks ago was probably in my favor as SCC does not normally grow at such a speed.
Has anybody ever seen a return of cancer come on that quickly? (From nothing to nickel size in just a few weeks).

I am also holding out some hope it�s an infection as this thing has always been painful whereas the cancer never was. It could be necrosis of the tissue given all the radiation I have had or a simple infection (GP gave me some antibiotics).

Hope to see the ENT within two days. Any thoughts would be appreciated

Kelly, very sorry to hear you are having a problem. You have already gone thru quite enough.

It could be anything. The only way to tell for sure is to get it biopsied. One thing that is positive is that thrush can be very painful. Ive had it several times and once it hurt really bad where I was certain it just had to be cancer.

Hope it isnt anything serious. Best wishes!!!!

Kelly

This sucks. My understanding was that oral cancer is NOT such a rapidly growing cancer and certainly not from microscopic to nickel so quickly as this developed in you Ulcer, necrosis, infection all sound like better possibilities. Still have the new ENT biopsy the spot if possible.
The damn waiting and worrying is just terrible. Wish I had something definitive instead of generalities.
Hang in there brother
Charm

Kelly

My wife Bev just pointed out to me that when she suffered from canker sores (turns out she developed a late life allergy to peanuts and some other nuts)they had a whitish top and were very painful. Hoping yours is something similar
(Ain't cancer crazy? Here I am hoping you have painful canker sores !)
Thinking positive and praying for you
Charm

OK,

I have an appointment with the ENT today at 3:00 PM. I'll push for a punch biopsy if he doesn't go there first.

I am mostly worried because this thing looks so ugly. If it's cancer, its very aggressive given the time line. I have had a few mild fevers over the past week so that points to infection. I can go on and on like this for pages as we all know. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. I know far too much for someone who is going to have to wait around even if it's only until this afternoon.

If he takes the biopsy, it will be another few days of pins and needles.

Wish me luck (I'm trembling scared).

ENT says it looks like �Text Book� SCC tumor. He did take a biopsy but just to get things moving along. He said that locally recurrent cancers like this can come back with a vengeance and grow very rapidly. The one good thing he had to say was that this location is operable. It would involve splitting my jaw and replacing most of the floor of my mouth with a free flap from the wrist.

I will be going back to University of Pittsburgh on Monday if they think it�s worth it. Doctor here has call into my Dr. at Pitt. I�ll try and arrange a call with him tomorrow and see how soon they want me out there.

Jim: looks like I�ll be visiting your old stomping grounds at UPMC once again.

Christine: If I survive this, my signature line may be as long as yours.

Charm: You and I seem to be traveling a very similar road only you are always a few steps ahead of me. Good luck my friend, I�ll see you at the finish line.

I hate this fight.

Going into round 4.

Kelly

We can't change our facts of difficulty, loss, & heartbreak. We can't change the mental, physical, & emotional pain of multiple recurrences. Challenges, difficulties, even tragedies happen every day to people who deserve better. All we can control are our reactions and responses when life takes these wicked turns.
No shoulda-coulda-woulda to add to our suffering.
Hey, the free flap surgery works fine: I have a floor of the mouth shaped scar on my wrist where they took the flap. They replaced it with skin from my groin which has very dark curly pubic hair but it blends in great since I had and still have plenty of hair on my arms and chest. You can't even see the scar on my groin. Oh and splitting the jaw, they put it back with a nice titanium plate and screws that do not set off any airport alarms although the naked body scanner showed them.

You are always so up on treatment. Have you thought about robotic TORS surgery? I've heard great things about it if you get an experienced surgeon. At the time, they weren't doing stage IV tumors but focused on tumors like yours even then.

Hang in there buddy. You and I were born to be the last men standing. Neither of us is quite ready to be returned to the manufacturer. See you at the finish line
Charm

Charm,

ENT mentioned TORS today but said my Trismus may not allow enough room for it. I'll of course defer to the doctors on that one. I'm right on top of getting after this thing again. I would just like a breather in here somewhere.

Prayers are with you Kelly

Kelly, you have been down this road before and know the drill. Keep busy to help you not worry. I really am hoping that this is nothing serious, especially not another recurrence. Please keep us posted every step of the way. Hope you know we are here to lean on.

Best wishes!!!!