Hi David and welcome. Glad to have you as a member. I love your attitude and hope that things get better for you in the eating department soon. Good things come to those that wait.

Kargeo,

You should read the first forum instructions for new members and learn how to start your own thread. It is difficult for us to keep track of you when you are hidden in another person's posting.

Jerry

Kargeo, your friend should be working with a nutritionist regarding his weight. If he is currently limited to what he can take in via the feeding tube, be advised that there are several brands of food that pack more calories per can than the regular ones. Nutren 2.0 has 500 cal/can vs the usual 285-300 cal/can.

If he can swallow and drink, Carnation's VHC packs 560 cal/can but apparently can't be used with tube (or at least insurance won't cover it).

This is Tom, my wife is GinnyLee. We live in Alaska and she had biosies in Aug with report of OSCC on her gingiva (gums) on 9/2. ENT referred us to Loma Linda Hosp where we met head of Dept of Head and Neck Surgery. CT Scan and chest xrays done and Tumor Board meeting today 9/23 and we'll get report Tomorrow.

We are snowbirds and winter in Desert Hot Springs and Loma Linda is conveniently close, however; how do we verify that Loma Linda and our doctor are giving GinnyLee the optimum opportunity for good treatment?

I've been working on a list of questions for when the doctor calls.

Thanks, Tom

When will you be traveling back to the lower states? Do a search under Comprehensive Cancer Centers and see if something close pops up. You really haven't said much about her cancer or their Tx recommendations so it's hard to comment at this point.

We arrived in Calif 9/15 and first appointment at Loma Linda on 9/16 and staying until ginnylee is better. I'm in the dark until we get the Tumor Board recommendation. Don't know stage of disease. Just trying to learn all about oral cancer as quickly as I can.

Tom

How do you retain your history at the bottom of each post?

Hi Tom,

I'm new here too, and it took a bit of trial and error to figure out some of this stuff. Go to "my stuff", "profile". Then go down to the "signature" section. That's where you can put any history info, personal favorite quotes, etc. If you go click on any member's name, you can view their profile and see how they wrote their signature sections. That's how I figured it out, anyway. I'll be darned if I can figure out some of those number * letter notations, though. My cancer saga started almost 3 years ago, but - as I said - I'm brand new to this site stuff.

Best of luck and I'm glad you found this site. I've only been here 3 days and I've been helped a lot already. I'll be watching for your updates and other posts.

Lani

Posted these some time ago but have listed them again.
Hope this helps.


BaCC = Basil Cell Carcinoma
Biopsy = tissue sample removed for microscopic examination
BOT = Base of tongue
Brachytherapy = Radiation therapy with internal radioactive �seeds�
CAT = Computed Axial Tomography (scan)
CCC = Cancer Care Center
CT = Computed (computer) Tomography (scan)
Dives = treatments in a HBO unit
DX = Diagnosis
ENT = Ear Nose and Throat Doctor and surgeon
FNA = Fine Needle Aspiration � (Needle Biopsy)
HBO(T) = Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments
HIPAA = Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
HN = Head and neck
HNC = Head and Neck Cancer
HPV = Human Papilloma Virus
IMRT = Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy
Met(s) = Metastasis or cancer spread
MRI = Magnetic Resonance Imaging (scan)
NCCN = National Comprehensive Cancer Network
PCP = Primary Care Physician
PEG = Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastronomy (G tube or tube) Feeding
PET = Positron Emission Tomography (scan)
PT = Physical Therapist
QOL = Quality Of Life
RND = Radical Neck Dissection (sometimes Resection) also Modified
RO = Radiation Oncologist
RT = Radiation Therapy also Radiotherapy (Radio)
RX = Prescription or treatment
SCC(a) = Squamous Cell Carcinoma also SqCCA and sq cell ca
TX = Treatment
Xerostomia = low saliva
XRT = X ray Radiation Therapy
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/stages_cancer.htm

And here's the list of CCC's:

http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/resources/cancer_centers.htm

Gabe, there's an error in the list you posted -- A PEG and a G-tube are different.

The PEG tube goes through the abdomenal and stomach walls into the stomach; the G-tube or GN-tube is gastro-nasal and is a tube fed up through one's nose and then down the back of the throat into stomach -- GNT has no surgery involved unless they put in sutures to hold it in place.

At one time, we discussed putting all this pseudo-medical jargon in one place so it would be easy to refer to it and new members could find it, plus further explanations of things like Staging -- I personally know that it was a daunting task at first to understand this entire new language/code when I was rather distracted by what was happening to me, and I have to believe that was the same for many of us.

Gabriel,

Wow, thank you SO MUCH. I was starting to figure a few of them out, but this list explains SO MUCH. Maybe there's a place it can be posted somewhere in the "New Here" section? (Or maybe it is, but I just didn't find it yet.) As people log in I've been looking at their profiles to try and get to know them, as I assume they do when I log in, but this part was still pretty confusing to me. (I got the "SCC" one pretty quick, though)

Thanks again,

Lani

Pete,

Are we taking a vote? You know mine already. I vote for less confusion!