Hi, my name is Barry and I

Barry,

So sorry you are joining our group, but this is definitely the place to come for answers and support!

I can only say we have many many +5 year survivors on this site. At 66, you are still a young man and have the added bonus of being healthy! Each of us has to make the decision about how to fight and how hard to fight. However, I think you will hear from others who will reply, that their lives, although changed, are well worth the battle.

Best wishes in your journey. You will find many friends here.

Jennifer

Barry-
Sounds like you are where I was over 3 years ago and I am still cancer free and living with the side effects of treatment have not kept me from living a very full life. My tonsils came out at age 15 only to have one grow back and become stage 4 cancer with 3 lymph nodes involved. I too did not smoke and only socially drank. My advice is be as aggressive as you can be with treatment the first go around. You might not get a second chance!

I had the regrown tonsil removed, modified neck disection, radiation and concurrent chemo. I survived that treatment with most of the messy side effects and you can too!! I had the choice to have a more drastic surgery to redo the throat and sincerely wish I had gone for the gold and been more aggressive. It would have given me much more peace from the fear of recurrence.

It is a hard journey, but you won't be alone and there is a wealth of encouragement and survival tips on this forum! - Kris

Barry-
Just one note on the probably quality of life after this slash/burn/poison treatment. Six months after treatment I was back to work part time, full time by eight months. One year later I was kayaking on Puget Sound, snorkeling in Hawaii, camping with my grandchildren and teaching my 8 year old tennis! And I no longer carry a water bottle around and most food tastes just great! You have a lot of life to live yet...go for the gold! - Kris

Barry forget the "stage" and go for win! This is my third week of radiation and my throat is killing me but I know the little devils is screaming and dying in there. I met a woman at the rad center whose husband is recieving treatments. She had stage 3 breast cancer and survived so far for 25 years! They gave her 5 years.

We don't know how long we have. We have til our gig is up no matter if we have cancer or fall in the shower stall. I will be praying for you to decide. The sooner you do the better. I am 60 this year by the way and I am a warrior. Well maybe a "old" warrior. LOL Keep coming back and posting. It helps so much to know you are not alone.

Blessings and guidance,
Barbara~

Barry
The biggest learning I have had from this is anyone can beat the odds, the odds are only an average, get the best doctors which it seems you had with the places you've been, take the most aggressive treatment (you don't want to take any chances). The treatment process is tough but not unbearable. The side effects usually a minimal and in my case and others are hardly noticable or you get use to them. Your are taking the right approach to get several options and listen to others who have been through it which I learned more and was reasurred more from the past advocates who have been through it. Like the old saying you can't beat experience.

Hello Barry and welcome ,
My husband had stage 4 Base of tongue . You are right the treatment is horrendous, but absolutely worth it!
He is now back to his normal, annoying, old self, and I have no hesitation in giving him as hard a time as he deserves!
Just kidding, but I know how you feel..... scared silly.
There is a light at the end of this rotten old tunnel and we can help you through it.
Take Care
Marica

Many thanks for all your words of support and encouragement. They have been very helpful. I will keep posting to the chat-line on my progress. Next step is tuesday when I meet with both medical and radiation oncologists.

Cheers
Barry

Barry,

Good luck on Tuesday. My thoughts a prayers will be with you.

Jerry

Barry:

I just wanted to let you know that I had the "Modified Radical Neck Dissection" with "Radical Tonsillectomy" a week and 3 days ago...

It's a BIG DEAL..>But, not the end of the world.

Today, I am up and fucntioning 99% of my presurgery function.

It was painful for a few days, but good pre-surgical discussions with your ENT will prevent that better than mine did.

I am in Houston tonight to discuss radiation and chemotherapies tomorrow with MD ANDERSON.

Don't give up before you even start man!

The statistics you are being quoted don't take several things into consideration (not the least of which you are obviously proactive and interested in learning about the treament as evidenced by the fact that you posted on this forum), so there are several things in your favor we don't even know yet!

Relax. You'll get through this...

Barry, you handed me my soapbox with your reference to the 5 year survival rate and recurrence rate. So here goes, (with apologies to Michael who got this lecture recently).

I was a math major in a long past life and the area of statistics was of particular interest. I can make them say anything anyone wants.

Each of us is a particular set of circumstances that is unlike those of any other person. We are only our own statistic! If we seek appropriate treatment in an appropriate time frame, if we follow all recommendations, if we have a positive attitude and faith and the expectation that we will survive, odds are good that we will.

The oft-quoted statistics include those non-compliant patients who continue to smoke and chew and drink, the people who went in with other serious disease like heart or cirrosis or diabetes, or just very advanced age. Also those who have chosen alternative and unproven treatments outside recommended mainstream procedures, and those who do not complete standard recommended treatment. All of this has absolutely nothing to do with most of us.

The odds are not good, but I might be run over by a bus tomorrow. The key here, and this is VERY important, is that nobody can see into the future.

What I did, and what I advocate, is to do the research, make a decision, then throw yourself into it with the idea that you have done tough things before and you can to this too. I found that it was not nearly as bad as I had steeled myself to accept, which is the way with a lot of things in life.

More than three years ago I devoted six months to surgery, chemo and radiation for stage 4 SCC. Today, and for a long time, I have felt terrific. Life has returned absolutely to normal, as I expected it would.

Never forget that this cancer, unlike the prostate cancer, is wicked and evil and will not go quietly or easily. In my case, surgery was a given as was rad, but I opted for chemo too, figuring throwing everything at it was the best way to fight. So far, so good.

Also remember that people post here with problems. There are many who do not experience all the side effects, or the intensity of those described here. It was reading some pretty scary things that got me all toughened and prepared to take whatever horrible thing I had to, and then I found that even with my extensive treatment, it was kind of a cake walk compared to many of the things suffered by people on this forum.

Bottom line, you are unique and you cannot apply any statistics you read to your chances of living to a ripe old age. To borrow the Home Depot slogan: You can do this. We can help.

(Stepping down from soapbox).

Joanna

P.S. to Kris, my take on it was sharp knives, evil death rays, and poison (grin).

Hello Barry

Sorry you have to go through the oral cancer treatment. There are many long-term survivors here who will offer support to you.

I had cancer of a tonsil remnant also, removed aged 4. I'm doing well now and am grateful to my doctors. I had surgery and radiotherapy, elected not to have chemo because I don't react well to many drugs. So far, so good.

Barry, let us know how you are getting on. You now have a large team of supporters on your side!

Love and light from Helen

Barry, my father and I felt the same way when he was diagnosed. Hopeless, frightened, weak. Thankfully that special something kicks you in to fight mode-while it is scary and awful-it is NOT a DEATH Sentence! Please be strong! My father has finished week 2 of radiation and 1 dose of chemo. His tumor is getting smaller already! We are elated. Yes, there is that looming fear but you have got to take on the challenge of living in the moment. You and your wife can DO THIS!! Bulk up, start eating and hydrating! If you haven't already, go to Lance's site. Bless you and your family.