Hi everyone
Its been up and down with emotions and such around here. 1st we get a note from Cancer Center to show up May 30th ... surgery and follow up... Ok we are ok with that... At least that is what i thought it said. Wish people would type instead of writting grrr.
Anyways a week later we get a phone call that they want him at hospital on May 16th and that the hospital would call about the information.
Ok Yippy they moved up surgery (we think).
When we 1st spoke to the doctor he said simple operation and Al would be home the same day. Did not think cancer has spread anywhere else ect. But at that time he did not have the results of the CAT SCAN.
OK the hospital calls... Now they are admitting him overnight... they are doing a panendoscopy. I thought that the surgery was called panendoscopy. WRONG!!! I did a internet search on the word. Ok now i get a little scared, so i call the Cancer Center to speak to surgeons nurse. One person i talked to said surgery on the 18th??? but hospital says the 16th.. hmmm Well after playing telephone tag i get to a place where i can leave a message for he to call me back. Hmmm that was on Tuesday.. We are now Thrusday and no call yet. This is getting annoying!! So i guess i spend today my day off on the phone playing telephone tag again.
Naturaly all kinds of thoughts are rushing thru my head. Did they find with the scan that it has spread? Are they doing the surgery?
I was wondering if anyone else has had Panendoscopy and surgery done at the same time? Hospital said it was only going to take 1/2 hr is that enough time?
Thanks for letting me vent in any case.

Hello Carole, I did also have a panendoscopy while in surgery. My case was different because they were looking for a primary tumor of unknown type. The procedure (panendoscopy) is not a big deal to go through. I suspect that his doctors want to be complete in their search for any spread or any other problems related to his smoking history. I would not worry yet that they have found anything beyond the tongue cancer.

You mention that you are in a small town. If you have any access to a larger medical community that has more experience it might be a good time to get additional opinions.

Hi
Thanks Mark we live in a small town but the Cancer Center and doctors are in a much larger city. Its one of the only Oral Cancer Centers in Ontario i've been told. So we have to travel 3hrs or so to get there.
News of the day is now they have cancelled the procedure.. Why???? don't know. I've finaly was able to talk to his primary nurse and she said that maybe there was another case more involved and bla bla bla bla and what the procedure is going to be. So now we sit and wait!!! for hospital to call back with another date. Make arrangement for time off work, travel, and place to stay ect. We shall get tru it i'm sure.
What worries me is that the cancer tounge is getting bigger while we wait.
Hurry up and Wait seems to be the game we are playing now.
I've told him to come into this site and look around i'm not sure if he has or not. He is just starting to get to the angry stage of cancer..and still has not stop smoking completly or drinking his beer. And if he does not stop following me so close thru the day, i'm going to hit him soon. Yesterday i was planting some flowers and step back only to step on his feet LOL he was so close. Yesterday everytime i turned around there he was 2steps away. Drove me nuts but made me laugh also. I know he wants me near but not that close OK... LOL
Thanks for listening folks.
Carole
aka Kountrylady

I would be on the phone daily to more than one person at this center. You have to really be your own advocate here. If you can see that the tongue situation is getting worse and they are screwing around with schedules, you need to get MAD. You need to rattle cages; you need to get things going NOW. Screw their schedules, if it were their life on the line, I bet you they