Welcome back, Michael. We knew you could do it! Sounds like surgery went well and your attitude will take you a long way in fighting this beast. Keep up your fighting spirit and my thoughts are with you, Seth and your family.

Hugs, Nancy

Wow! I can't believe you're on and posting so soon. You ARE tough and will work through this! My smile is cockeyed as well, but it helps me with my Sylvester Stalone impersonation.. Adriannnnnn.... :-)

So happy to hear you are doing well. I had thought about you so many times over the past few days.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Jennifer

Michael, Sounds like all went well. Tried to call few times but no answer! I guess you were getting your beauty rest.
K&K

Thank you all!

Last night I didn't sleep.

I guess it's true that the 2nd day worse.

My throat is killing me..and I amd having s terrible time swallowing.

Yesterday, I ate grapes, roll, banana and peaches, plus more..

Last night I couldn't even drink water.

I have an earache, jaw pain and all the numbness still.

I should get the drains out tonight or in the morning.....

I"ll keep eveeryone posted!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU ALL for the prayers.

Glad to hear you are doing ok Michael, Time to heal now. As you go through the healing phase please post any questions you may have. You have many members pulling for you.

Danny Boy

So glad to hear you are doing OK, all those prayers good wishes and positive vibes really worked huh?
Take care
Marica

Hey guys...still here :-)

Am recovering nicely at the moment.

Had a terrible time yesterday. Serious pain, couldn't swallow and didn't sleep at all since I had been here.

Today, I had finally had enough of "Well, sir, the dr prescribed morphine and that's all we have"

I said look, the stuff isn't working AT ALL for my tonsil pain and it makes me constipated and loopy....

I've had some real crap nurses...such a power trip.

Finally, I called the surgeon at home.

I told him I'd had enough. He hasn't even been in to check on me ONCE since the surgery. I have this "team" of ENT's show up twice a day and look like deer cought in headlights.

They are nice enough, but can't answer any of my questions, and worse yet, don't do anything for the pain!!!

I was really fedup. Anyway, I said to the surgeon that I couldn't believe he hadn't been in even once.

He said the sugery went well.

He said we got negative margins on the tonsil (which I presume is good) But, only 1mm.

He also said there looked like the 2 known nodes and one "facial node" looled involved, but that we'll know more on Tues from Pathology.

I don't know what the 3 rd one means? More surgery? Jaw bones, etc?

I complained that he misled me whn he said I'd be "eating steak and potatoes" in a couple of days after surgery.

I explained the pain.

He said, oh, let's put you on Blah Blah it'll fix you right up...The only problem is, he said, is that it causes bleeding???

I think it's an IV version of Ibuprofren or something.

Anyway, within 20 minutes I was a new man!

Today I was able to eat soft foods, swallow water and SLEEP!!

I went to sleep at 1:00 PM and have been on and off since, getting up in between to walk around the floor to prevent pnonomia and clots.

We'll that's about it...

I still have lot's of sleep to catch up on..

Oh, I met this super guy, TIM, here today.

Had SCC of the tongue back when he was 26! Had a LEFT side MRND.

Then 14 years later it returned!!!!!!!!!!

He now 42, still looks great, had a LEFT MRND (his has staples, mine has absorbable sutures, not sure which is best?)

He said it was on his tounge again, and that they didn't get "clean margins".

He said he already used up his lifetime of Rads last time.

Has a good spirit about it! But, jeeze, if you can't feel safe after 14 years when can you???!!!

He should start to post online soon!

Well, I'm off to sleep again...Love and hugs to all!

Michael, glad to hear that the new painkiller is starting to help. I have had surgery for other problems and I didn't think that the staff had a clue about just how bad the pain was. I complained to the head of the hospital (can't remember his title) because I was taken off morphine after 12 hours and I should have been kept on it for at least 48 for my surgery. They gave me panedol and I couldn't even swallow it because the pain was so bad I was gagging. That was 4 years ago and I am still pissed off. It was a private hospital too and I was paying big bucks, not that that should mean better care, but really you expect it. Good for you for standing up for yourself. It is tough when you have just had major surgery and are really hurting. Stay strong. I am still sending those good thoughts your way. I am waiting to have my biopsy done and I have gone right off the word 'positive' at the moment. Good luck and best wishes.

If it makes you feel any better, Michael, morphine didn't do too much for my pain either the first time around. It made me crazy, paranoid and out of my head, which would have been fine if it had killed any of the pain I was having. Good learning experience for the next time should you need to go into the hospital. These days if I have severe pain, I'm better informed to say "no morphine, please"

Sorry about the crap nurses and the doctor not keeping you informed or checking up on you. I've had my share of those too. It's probably why I'm a wee bit jaded on the whole medical thing. When you do find good nurses or a few good doctors on your medical team, that's what keeps you in the game. At the beginning of my cancer saga this year, I made sure to note in my book the nurses that I COULD communicate with. Sometimes they are easier to reach than the top dog anyway, and thankfully some of them even had business cards with their direct numbers listed on them.

Hope you are healing better with each passing day.

Jen

Yes, definitely, from doctors to nurse's aids and everyone inbetween, it is definitely worth remembering the especially helpful ones and getting their cards or at least their names and numbers.

Michael, I'm sorry you had to deal with such bad pain for ANY length of time. Pain control should really be a primary concern for both doctors and nurses after surgery. Good for you for standing up for yourself. BTW, I also found morphine didn't do much for me after my glossectomy & neck dissection. I didn't getparanoid, but it just didn't really get rid of the pain.

My thoughts and prayers are with you for a speedy recovery in the coming days and also withy Seth and the other loved ones helping to care for you.

Nelie