Hi everyone. I found out on September 14th after having my tonsils removed that I have Tonsil Cancer SCC HPV+. Since then I have had a radical tonsillectomy and a neck dissection to remove swollen lymph nodes that showed up on the PET scan. Next week I will go back and get my stitches removed and find out how the pathology report turned out. Based on those findings I will find out what my future radiation/chemo treatment plan will be. I just found this forum and thought I would join in case I have questions or who knows maybe I will be able to help someone else.

Thanks,

Welcome to OCF! Glad you found our site. Im sure questions will come up and we will be happy to assist you as much as possible.

Best wishes with your recovery and appointment next week.

Hi CWB, and welcome to the OCF family! You have found the best place there is on the web for this topic and people are very supportive, knowledgeable and kind.

As you can see from my signature, my case is fairly similar to yours.

Good luck with the pathology report and feel free to ask anything that interests you.

Hello Curt:
Ditto what Ambra said. You are now a member of new family, one that actually knows what's going through your head as we've all been there too.

For people newly diagnosed with oral cancer the unknown is perhaps the scariest thing of all. In the beginning you know nothing about OC, so your imagination takes over and runs wild and in many cases creates a lot of fear.

This is the place to overcome the unknown and the fear; I expect the answer to just about any question you can dream up can be found here.

So get started reading all the literature and post to the forum your questions, feelings and fears. You will get plenty of support.

Welcome to the family.

Tony

P.S. Read my signature line, my diagnosis is very close to yours.

Good luck with everything.

Thanks everyone! I have learned a lot so far from other posts. I go to the doctor next Wednesday to get stitches removed and review the pathology report. I am assuming we will then discuss my plan for the future and how much radiation or chemo I will need. I will keep posting as I have found your posts are helping answer my questions.

Thanks,
Curt

Hi CWB, Welcome here, and best of luck with your upcoming treatments!

I noticed you said that you "assumed..."

And I would say, "Don't assume that your medical folks will do anything."

You are going to find out that you need to be your own advocate, and ask for confirmation on any assumptions you find it necessary to make.

Write down any questions you have prior to any meetings to discuss your situation, and don't leave without asking them and getting a clear answer.

I'm not knocking the medicos, all of them that I've dealt with (in technical terms, that would be a "Bunch!") are fine, knowledgable and skilled compassionate folks, genuinely interested in giving you their best efforts.

But they are also busy. Very busy! They have an agenda that they feel will meet your data needs, but they cannot look into your mind and it's up to you to be our best advocate for getting the info you need, and that includes especially scheduling info. It often slips through the cracks, because they are so busy and frequently distracted.

Curt.....let me repeat "Welcome". You have found a great resource in this forum. Ditto what Bart said about writing down questions and concerns for you medical team. Do your research on this forum and other sources about your diagnosis then ask the "hoes and whys" of your medical team. No question is insignificant when dealing with OC.

Again.....welcome and keep us updated on your progress on this journey. We are all here for you.

Alicia

Sorry Curt....that should be "how's and whys"......Lolol. Darn autocorrect.

Thanks everyone for the support. It is nice being able to ask questions and get insight from other survivors who are going through the same thing.