#44509 02-02-2005 06:00 AM | Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 153 Gold Member (100+ posts) | OP  Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 153 | Thanks for all your support. I am feeling better today and ready to fight this vicious disease once more. I have found a wonderful device that will let David type what he wants to communicate and it will say it electronically. He can even use it on the phone. I am talking to speech consultants about it today. This is not the end of the road, just a big tree that fell across our path and we will find a way around it. The doctors said David is doing wonderful. He is healing well and they even had him "sitting", or more like leaning back, in a chair yesterday with supports around his head. We will see him Friday (the hospital is over 1,000 miles from here). I hope he is out of ICU by then so I can sit with him during the night. I'm going to take my laptop for him to use in the meantime. His motor skills are still shaky, but maybe they will improve during the week.
Before this is over maybe I won't be just asking for help all the time and will be able to assist others on this forum.
Thoughts to all of you and thanks for your help.
Sister of 32 year-old oral cancer victim. Our battle is over but the war rages on. My brother passed July 26, 2005. He was a smokeless tobacco user.
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#44510 02-02-2005 08:30 AM | Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 90 Senior Member (75+ posts) | | Senior Member (75+ posts)
Joined: Nov 2004 Posts: 90 | Tonya, you keep that positive attitude!!! You have no idea how much that is going to help your brother get through this. He is lucky to have you for a sister! I am fairly new to this forum, my husband finished radiation treatments on his throat 2 months ago and that's when I found this website. I feel so blessed to have found this site, there are so many caring people here who really want to help. I have learned so much here too. I pray that your brother will win this battle. As I've learned from the people here, don't EVER give up!!!
Best of luck,
Shelley
Caregiver to husband, Ron. Throat cancer, Stage II. No Chemo or Surgery. Completed 35 Radiation Treatments in November 2004.
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#44511 02-02-2005 08:51 AM | Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 153 Gold Member (100+ posts) | | OP Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 153 | Thanks! I just received the news that they will have him walking by Friday and home in 2 weeks! Amazing - of course he will still have to go back every other week for 2 months. Those will be long trips, but worth it.
Sister of 32 year-old oral cancer victim. Our battle is over but the war rages on. My brother passed July 26, 2005. He was a smokeless tobacco user.
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#44512 02-02-2005 11:26 AM | Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,384 Likes: 1 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,384 Likes: 1 | Tonya, glad that both of you are feeling better. I am curious where the 1000 miles takes you? (that is a pretty big area for me to guess.)  Take care
Mark, 21 Year survivor, SCC right tonsil, 3 nodes positive, one with extra-capsular spread. I never asked what stage (would have scared me anyway) Right side tonsillectomy, radical neck dissection right side, maximum radiation to both sides, no chemo, no PEG, age 40 when diagnosed.
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#44513 02-02-2005 11:33 AM | Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 482 "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2004 Posts: 482 | Tonya, good news on the speach front. Glad you were able to find something to help your brother with speaking. It sounds like he is pretty strong to be up and about and sent home so quickly after such a long and arduous surgery. God bless you all.
Regards, Kirk Georgia
Stage IV, T1N2aM0, right tonsil primary, Tonsilectomy 11/03, 35 rad/3cisplatin chemo, right neck dissection 1/04 - 5/04.
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#44514 02-02-2005 11:51 AM | Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 156 Gold Member (100+ posts) | | Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2005 Posts: 156 | tonya. glad to hear your brother is doing so well . stay as positive as u have been
my best wishes
maz | | |
#44515 02-02-2005 12:01 PM | Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 1,116 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 1,116 | Tonya, thanks for sharing the good news about your brother. My thoughts and prayers go out to both of you! God Bless, Carol
Diagnosed May 2002 with Stage IV tongue cancer, two lymph nodes positive. Surgery to remove 1/2 tongue, neck dissection, 35 radiation treatments. 11/2007, diagnosed with cancer of soft palate, surgery 12/14/07, jaw split. 3/24/10, cancer on tongue behind flap, need petscan, surgery scheduled 4/16/10
---update passed away 8-27-11---
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#44516 02-03-2005 03:45 AM | Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 153 Gold Member (100+ posts) | | OP Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 153 | Mark,
We are in the very top of Texas and he is at MD Anderson in Houston, near the bottom. We leave tomorrow. I am very eager to see him.
Tonya
Sister of 32 year-old oral cancer victim. Our battle is over but the war rages on. My brother passed July 26, 2005. He was a smokeless tobacco user.
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#44517 02-03-2005 07:13 AM | Joined: Apr 2002 Posts: 80 Likes: 1 Senior Member (75+ posts) | | Senior Member (75+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2002 Posts: 80 Likes: 1 | Tonya
Just want to add my prayers for you and yours, may God be with you.
Joan
JOAN
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#44518 02-07-2005 05:05 AM | Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 153 Gold Member (100+ posts) | | OP Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2004 Posts: 153 | Thank you all. We are back from Houston. He is doing very well, considering. A lot of swelling but his wounds are healing very nicely. He is up and walking some. He's having problems keeping down the liquid food they are putting in his feeding tube so that is awful when he gets sick. He has a trake (sp?) and we are learning to take care of that. Hopefully he will only have it a couple of weeks, if all goes well. I am trying to emerse myself in sign language books so I can began teaching him and our family when he gets home. My husband gently reminds me that our toughest days are still ahead. On one level I am aware of that, but on another I know I will have no idea how rough until those days are here. I hope that makes sense. I asked his wife what kind of time they had given him (it's the control part of me - I need to be prepared), but she said she didn't want people talking about that or counting his days. She's right. So I will keep reminding myself how grateful we are for today and learn to be at peace with that.
Thanks again, and please keep David and his little family in your prayers. You will each be in ours.
Tonya
Sister of 32 year-old oral cancer victim. Our battle is over but the war rages on. My brother passed July 26, 2005. He was a smokeless tobacco user.
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