| | Joined: May 2013 Posts: 188 Likes: 4 Senior Member (100+ posts) |  Senior Member (100+ posts)
Joined: May 2013 Posts: 188 Likes: 4 | You are in the best place given the news you just received. I had to visit this site in May after receiving similar news. I am 6 weeks post TX and will answer any questions I can. The support network is your best friend and already started with co-workers. You will pass this test in life.
Age 55 HPV 16+ SCC, BOT 050613 Stage IV
great team at OSU
Tx 6 weeks of rad started June 3
8 weeks of chemo started May 28
RTOG Phase III trial Cetuximab group.
Treatment completed 7/16/2013
PET Scan completed 10/08/13
Results discussed 10/11/13
NED - Free but am I
Next part of the journey?
1year PET 10/24/14 NED
Good reports now 10 years out.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2012 Posts: 381 "OCF Canuck" Platinum Member (300+ posts) | | "OCF Canuck" Platinum Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2012 Posts: 381 | Yep, my GP thought it was a canker sore and tried to burn it off, oops. So cancer was a bit of a shocker. Well, she was only one letter off...
Good luck Tuesday. Once they get more info the options should all be laid out for you.
Tina
Diag: Aug. 13/12
T3N0M0
50% + glossectomy and bilateral radical neck dissection, removal of nodes zones I - V
Surgery October 11/12
Chemo/rad on hold due to clear margins and nodes
Sept 21/13 clear CT with anomaly thought to be the artery, being watched closely.
Dec 16/13 - anomaly confirmed artery, all clear
nickname: "get 'r done"
Plans: kick cancer's butt
| | | | | Joined: Aug 2013 Posts: 31 Contributing Member (25+ posts) | | Contributing Member (25+ posts)
Joined: Aug 2013 Posts: 31 | Wishing you the best of luck on your TX! It's very hard to hear and actually say I have Cancer, I am still in shock myself. Seems like you are doing all the right things and getting into the best places. My thoughts are with you.
DX with MEC salivary gland 8/20/2013 age 27 F 9 weeks pregnant
Jessica, Mother to a 4 and 9 year old
11/18/2013 surgery to removed tumor, including bilateral jaw muscle. 2nd Trimester.
12/2/2013 results came back for clear margins
| | | | | Joined: Aug 2013 Posts: 54 Supporting Member (50+ posts) | | OP Supporting Member (50+ posts)
Joined: Aug 2013 Posts: 54 | Thanks folks. I told my Pre-AP chem students today about the cancer and that I will be out for a while after surgery. They were so sweet about it. I had to leave class early yesterday to have my CT scan. They want to see my scan! I got a copy of the CD of the CT for myself after reading some lists here. I want to have copies of all my test results IN HAND to give the various med professionals that need copies. Sounds like it may help avoid delays in treatment.
I am trying my best to make 6 weeks of lesson plans for all my classes for subs and line up meals for my family for the week or so I am in the hospital. Hubby will be driving back and forth 90 minutes each way to visit me and get our kids to and from school. Wow...there is alot to plan.
48 yo female, quit smoking 4yrs ago, light drinker, Stage 2 SCC, Bx3, Dx 8/22/13, surgery 9/11/13. Partial glossectomy, bilateral neck dissection levels 1-4. Tongue reconstruction with flap from forearm. 87 Lymph nodes CLEAR. Tongue margins good at 1 cm. No further treatment planned. Monthly monitoring planned for upcoming year then periodic monitoring for next 4
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2013 Posts: 17 Member | | Member
Joined: Sep 2013 Posts: 17 | You are doing the best thing you can do for yourself with this diagnosis and that is get educated on it. This will allow you to ask the right questions and even the Doc's don't want you to ask. Time is your biggest enemy. The tissue of your tongue replaces itself every 7 to 10 days. In order for a tumor to sustain its growth over normal tissue it has to replecate faster than that which means it will likely double in size every week or so. The larger it gets the harder it is to take out or treat without adversely effecting your function. If it were me and I had the means to get to MD Anderson, I would do so as fast as possible. A referall to them from Dr.#2 might get you in and treated the fastest. The next thing they will do is stage the cancer with a number of tests. This takes time and the people who ultimately will do the treatment will want to have their own tests and not use another hospital. Because of the time issue that is why I would say get to MD as soon as you can and let them stage it and give you recommendations for treatment. As a fellow educator I am living proof you can survive this and be able to teach a bunch more students chemistry so they help save the world from global warming. Good luck.
In 1994 I found a 3cm tumor on my right tonsil. After 3 rounds of chemo, I underwent a radical neck dissection with a peck flap. I had a reoccurance which required twice a day radiation treatments and then had 19 years cancer free. I then found a very small tumor on my right tonsil. It was removed. Then I found a 1 cm mass near the base of my tongue on the left side. I had two partial glossectomys with bad margins and then then underwent Brachytherapy.
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 5,264 Likes: 5 "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | "OCF Canuck" Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Dec 2010 Posts: 5,264 Likes: 5 | Chances are it will be longer than six weeks. You may be able to work the first two but the two treatment are the worst. Then it's a slow climb back to normal - that's assuming you have to have radiation. Here's to hoping you don't! hugs
Cheryl : Irritation - 2004 BX: 6/2008 : Inflam. BX: 12/10, DX: 12/10 : SCC - LS tongue well dif. T2N1M0. 2/11 hemigloss + recon. : PND - 40 nodes - 39 clear. 3/11 - 5/11 IMRT 33 + cis x2, PEG 3/28/11 - 5/19/11 3 head, 2 chest scans - clear(fingers crossed) HPV-, No smoke, drink, or drugs, Vegan
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