My story actually started last summer. I had noticed that my tongue felt weird it felt like it was getting to big for my mouth and I started to bite my tongue a lot. Eating or talking was also changing. At the end of September I went to the oral surgeon because I thought if he pulled a few teeth on my right side my problem would go away.
I had a big rip on the floor of my mouth and I had bitten my tongue so much that I had a piece of it hanging off. His exact words to me were "holy buckets what have you been doing to your tongue". He said to go back to my dentist and have a guard made for my teeth. That was at the end of September. The lump showed up the first part of November I knew I had something going on but I had no idea what it really was. I went to my family doctor for my blood pressure medicine and I told her I had this lump in my mouth going on. She took one look and said I'm sending you to a otolaryngogist. By now this was the first of November. I saw him on November 15, and he wanted to do a biopsy while I was there, but I told him I had to work that night. It was scheduled for November 19 in the afternoon. He told me to come back on November 26 for the results. He looked at me and said I'm so sorry, but you have squamous cell carcinoma. I remember telling him "oh come on you have got to be kidding, tongue cancer? But I have never smoked in my entire life and I don't drink... how can I get tongue cancer!!!" Bad luck, bad genes is what he said. I was refered to the University of Nebraska Health System in Omaha at Clarkson Hospital. There I met the surgeons who would be doing my surgery. I had the right half of my tongue removed and the floor of my mouth, so my tongue is tied down now. I had the forearm flap with a vein taken all the way to my elbow, a skin graft on my left leg, and a neck dissection. The cancer was not in my lymph nodes, so I have not had to face radiation or any other procedure. I went home with a feeding tube, and in a week was able to have it removed. I took nine weeks off from my job and so far everything has turned out good news. I had written about a month ago about my pap smear being abnormal with squamous cell. I had a repeat done and every thing is normal, but will be going to a obgyn for a closer look. The only good thing about this whole thing is that I lost some very much needed weight, about 50 lbs so far.

I ordered a tee shirt from the foundation, and I love wearing it. I will be going back to Omaha on September 13 to see my surgeon. Those visits are always a little scary. My surgeon is from South Africa, he's been very kind and is a very empathatic person.. I'm lucky that Omaha is only 100 miles from my home and Big Red is a leading oral cancer research university. My speech is really coming along, but eating at times can be an adventure. I go to this web sight quite often, but I have not gotten the courage to write to others postings.
Vicki from Iowa

Hi Vicki, I'm glad that you found the "courage" (to use your word) to finally participate in the discussions. However, given what you have been through, I think you have been a pretty courageous person all along. While I