I am 81 years old, and recently diagnosed with oral cavity SCC, I have not been told the staging assessment. I had been treated by numerous doctors for oral lichen planus for more that 30 years, but none recognized it as cancer. Because there are multiple lesions, surgery is not an options. I will begin radiation on August 30. I am getting a second opinion on Cisplatin chemotherapy and have a referral for a feeding tube. It is a hard decision. I am having more pain since the biopsy. I am using CBD oil, Extra Strength Tylenol and 2% Viscous Lidocaine. I am located 20 minutes from a great cancer center. I have a wonderful support network, but this is a lonely journey.

Welcome to OCF, Margaret! Im sorry you have been diagnosed with SCC!!! You have found the very best place for info and support to get you thru your upcoming treatments and recovery. We've been down this road too and fully understand how hard it can be on both the patient and their caregivers. Now that you have found us, you are not longer alone in this! We will help you as much as possible with tips many we have learned from our own experiences.

Most people close to the cancer patient want to help but just dont know what they can do. If you write down their names and contact info, down the road when you may need a hand, they can be contacted. For most of us asking for help isnt easy, but dont be shy! When going thru treatments, some days you may feel pretty lousy and will need help. Theres a million small things others can do that add up to being a huge help to patients.

Theres drivers available who can help get you back and forth to your treatments thru the American Cancer Society's (ACS) volunteer driver program. Going thru rads/chemo can take alot out of a person. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has volunteers who are former cancer patients or their caregivers to staff the driver program. Driving 20 miles each way can be a long drive if you arent feeling the best. Ive used the ACS volunteer driver program myself a couple times and couldnt believe the kindness of the people who drove me 45 minutes each way to my appointments. Plus they drove 45 minutes up to pick me up and then another 45 minutes back to their house. I was so impressed at the kindness of strangers that I became a volunteer driver too once I recovered from my own bouts of cancer. It requires some paperwork to set you up with a volunteer driver so if you are interested you may want to give the ACS a call or check out their website. There's also another program the ACS has to help patients with prescription medicine co-pays and/or transportation costs. The ACS will give up to $300 to cancer patients to help cover transportation expenses or co-pays at the pharmacy.

Hopefully you will be one of the lucky 10% or so who sails right thru their treatments with hardly any of the side effects. The better you do with your intake, the easier time you will have. With a feeding tube you should be able to have an easier time of this. Just remember you will still need to swallow every single day to keep those swallowing muscles working. Its hard to believe but they can actually forget how to function properly if not used for a while. Spend some time around here and you will notice I nag people about their intake. I do so after my own experiences where I wasnt very good with pushing myself to take in enough which caused me to suffer much more than I should have. I had a few hospitalizations due to dehydration and malnutrition. I dont want to see this happen to anyone else when I know what they must do to avoid those pitfalls. Every single day from right now until you hit your first year post rads (at the very least), you need to take in at least 2500 calories and 48-64 oz of water. If you are slim and/or want to put on a couple pounds before treatments begin, thats a very good idea! Push your minimums up to 3000/3500 or more calories daily. It sounds like alot but its not! When fighting cancer, your body burns up calories at an incredible rate. You do not want to lose weight during rads and chemo if you can avoid it. Even if you are seriously overweight, your doctors will still not want to see you lose weight during rads as thats a sure sign you are not getting enough calories to get you thru your treatments. Before starting on the 30th, make sure you eat all your favorite foods, desserts too. Your sense of taste will likely change and you may struggle with your ability to swallow. Better to eat your favorites now than to get 1/2 way thru and get cravings. Its a good idea to also practice with your caregiver how to use the feeding tube and how to flush it. Thats a very important tool you may rely on during rads and recovery.

Read here on our forum and also the main OCF site about oral cancer, treatments and absorb as much as you can. Post questions and we'll do our best to answer them. An informed patient makes for a very strong advocate. We'll be in your corner with you every step of the way. Best wishes with everything!