Hi, everybody. I was recently diagnosed with SCC Stage 1 in the upper right hard palate, will have surgery 5/28 to remove, plus 6 teeth, getting obturator immediately after. Anyone else with a similar story?

Hi Chris. Best of luck with yoru surgery next week. Are you doing any follow up chemo or radiation? There arent alot of OCF members who have it in that location.

On my original diagnosis I had cancer in 2 completely seperaty spots, both Stage 1. One was inside my L cheek and the other was like yours, top L of mouth.

Mine was treated with chemo and radiation. The doctors tried this first to prevent a major surgery. I ended up having a recurrance about 10 months later with another spot appearing in my cheek. Then it was a very simple surgery to remove the cancer inside my L cheek.

Enjoy your weekend and eat like crazy!!!

Hi, Chris -
My son's friend also had cancer in the hard palate. It's been 8 with no recurrence.
He said that following surgery, it felt like he had a popsickle stick on the top of his mouth, but it wasn't too bad.
Since his was on the roof of his mouth, opening his mouth wasn't a big problem for him (mine was in the gum in my lower jaw, so I had a problem opening my my mouth after surgery.) He has not had reconstructive surgery or implants. He has a special bridge that serves him well. Public speaking is part of his job, & he has had no problem with that, either.
Good luck with your surgery and recovery.
Marlene

[quote=mightymouse]Hi, everybody. I was recently diagnosed with SCC Stage 1 in the upper right hard palate, will have surgery 5/28 to remove, plus 6 teeth, getting obturator immediately after. Anyone else with a similar story?[/quote]

Hi, Christine -

I didn't realize the palate was an unusual location for OC. I'm not planning to have radiation or chemo afterwards, though the surgeon says there's a slight chance I'll need radiation still. I'm pretty terrified about the surgery and having my teeth removed; don't know what to expect for pain or eating. I'm thin to begin with and am trying to bulk up now, but it's only three more days until the surgery. I guess I'll learn to love smoothies!

Hi, Marlene-

Wow, 8 years cancer-free! That's great. I'm glad your friend's son did so well. Good to hear that his public speaking hasn't been affected at all. I can only hope for such good results myself - am using all my positive thinking powers.

Look for postings by August, who also has an obturator. She has advised several people here who have needed that particular piece of post-surgery equipment. You can get her e-mail or send her a private message through her profile information.

Thanks, Leslie! I'll look for August...

Mighty,, that hardest thing about no teeth is missing food and biting your fingernails,, lol altho I still try after 1 1/2 yrs without them. Just get a good blender and try whatever you think will work, if you make pasta,,overcook it and buy angelhair good luck in the next 3 days

Hey, MM.....Here's August.....Your surgery sounds almost identical to mine. I had SCC undiscovered for at least 8 months on my gum on the right maxilla, and since it had plenty of time to percolate, it spread along that gumline, and onto the inner side of the gums, and onto my hard palate. I lost the bone (the maxilla) and the five teeth in it (would have been six, exc. that I had long ago had my wisdom tooth removed...) and about half of my hard palate on that side. I lost all the bone and teeth from the back toward the front. I still have my four incisors. Most people can't tell that I have had any surgery, and I can ...and do!...eat anything I want. Since I have my incisors, I can eat sandwiches, burgers, corn on the cob, bbq'd ribs....I am very lucky. I did have a neck dissection, since the cancer had been present and overlooked for so long, but those nodes were clear. You will need liquids at first...I preferred Boost....but my situation was a little different, in that my post-surgical appliance wasn't well made, and my teeth didn't meet, so I don't know how soon I might have been able to chew otherwise.

I did not have chemo or radiation, and I am cancer-free after nearly 3 1/2 years.

Please feel free to send me an email or a PM. First, however, I think you can get lots of info from my past posts. Ask me anything. It is an odd surgery, and I was depressed and upset for a long time afterward, but I am a singer, and I sing again, and I am a public speaker and a teacher, and I do fine with that also.

There are several reconstructive procedures available, but obviously you are not considering them at this time. I think that it is generally advisable to wait a while to be certain that you are cancer-free.

If you have clear margins and negative neck nodes, you will likely not have to have radiation. I hope that is the case for you.

As a comfort, I will share that my surgeon told me that SCC in this location is more easily removed than from other locations with more soft tissue involvement. I hope that's true!

You will be fine. You will find that after you adjust, you can live just fine with the obturator, and if you don't ever feel comfortable with it, the surgeries are quite successful.

Good Luck! don't hesitate to write after you read some of my other posts.

XO--Colleen

You will need to exercise your jaw a few weeks after surgery, if your surgery involves the joint or near it. If you don't, you risk having it scar down, resulting in a permanently restricted opening. I couldn't open my mouth at first enough to slip a spoon tip into, but I'm fine now. Just remember to ask the doctor when you should begin.

And if you have a neck dissection, remember to ask him/her when you should begin to massage the skin and the scar to keep it flexible. Mine is perfectly normal now....not stiff or restricted at all, but if I had not massaged it regularly, after it had done its basic healing, it might have scarred down, leaving me with a permanently tight feeling in my neck.

Don't do either thing until you are told, but if they don't mention it, you need to ask....and don't forget...and don't neglect either thing!!!

For your neck massage, you get some nice moisturizer.....the greasier the better, and give it a good workover. Your care team will show you how. (though nobody showed me anything.....he just said I needed to massage the h--- out of it, so I did, using my good Mary Kay night cream! Cocoa butter would be nice...or Bath and Body's Body Butter.....or greasy Vitamin E cream.....It's the massage that matters, not the cream, but something greasy helps the massage to be more pleasant.)