I have cancer on my upper gum. The specialist I was referred to feels it is very early stage and has ordered a CTScan next week. If the scan confirms this then he has recommended radiation for about 8 weeks.
I have read allot on the internet about the side effects of the radiation and would like any helpful hints anyone can provide.
He also told me to have any dental work needed done asap.
I also saw somewhere a book of recipes I would like to get the title of. Also a recommendation to use a waterpik during therapy.
Hope to hear from those of you who have traveled this road before me.
Cathy

Cathy, do you have a second opinion on the therapy?

Not yet....I want to get the CTScan complete and then talk to primary Dr. That was one of the reasons I was asking you about COH.

Cathy,
Since it looks like your cancer was found very early (you did not say what type of cancer you have), surgery only MIGHT be a less damaging treatment in the long run, depending on the type and exact location of the tumor. After the CT you will have more detailed information on the exact stage.
At least try to find out all your options and the pros/ cons involved. Getting a second

Sigrid or anyone......
It is squamous cell.
It was explained to me that the surgery would be disfiguring and if it can be handled with radiation it would be better. Please tell me why you feel surgery is a better opinion.
I know the CTScan will provide more answers and I haven't made any decisions yet but want to know as much as possible.

Cathy

Cathy, In answer to your question about the name of the cookbook - may I recommend a book that I ordered and found helpful for my husband - especially when he was going through radiation and the months afterward. It is called: "Easy-to-Swallow, Easy-to-Chew" cookbook by Donna L. Weihofen, R.D., M.S. This book was mention by Brian in a post from August 22,2002. As I mentioned - I ordered the book and it has a lot of great recipes for the person with eating difficulties, and enjoyable enough for everyone else in the family too. To order this book - do an internal search with the word "cookbook" and look for a post dated August 22, 2002 - there you will have all the information needed to contact the Author of the book to have it mailed to you. You can even pay AFTER you receive the book as well. Hope this helps you. Take care.
P.S. If you cannot find the information on the search - let me know, and I can give you the details.

Please get at least two opinions on your treatment options, and at least one of those from a multidisciplinary cancer center where you case can be presented to a tumor board. Having doctors of different backgrounds develop your treatment plan is the best idea. Maxillary SCC can be treated with surgery or radiation or both. Just make sure that doctors from both disciplines are involved in determining your final treatment plan.

Cathy,
I was presented with the same option: Face a 12 hour surgery with disfigurement, pectoral flap, lifetime swallowing problems and increased morbidity and radiation anyway or just radiation and chemo which the doctors stated would have the same statistical outcome. My head and neck surgeon recommended against the surgery. I completed treatment 42 days ago and am doing ok. The tumor completely melted away and to date no trace of anything has shown up on the CT's or exams I've been given. Of course only time will tell. I did a lot of research and asked a lot of questions before I made my decision to go ahead with the treatment plan. Plus I lobbied to be treated at UCSF, pioneers in the type of IMRT radiation therapy that I had. My advice to you is learn as much as you can and make the decision
based on carefully weighing the pro's and con's of all your options.

PS: Radiation was a lot harder than I thought it would be and I'm still suffering a little from it and I use a Waterpik and find it very useful. I had to start using floss (very carefully) again when I started getting repeated outbreaks of thrush.

Gary: Just a quick comment. There is no correlation between flossing related oral hygiene and Candida. While it is paramount that you keep your mouth ultra clean from now until forever, Candida will stop coming back once your immune system is up to speed and the last effects of radiation have left you. Since you are only 42 days out of treatment, Candida may plague you a few more times before your body gets on its feet again completely. Keep the Diflucan handy. The normal flora in your body will keep it in balance.

Hi Brian,
I will be taking Diflucan daily for a while. My doc gives me 20 at a time. It really caused some serious swallowing pain the last time it flared up. It was painful to swallow water. It made my mouth fell gritty also and tended to get trapped by my rear molars where my tongue is still too sore to get at it. Thank God it's under control now.

Cathy, give the COH people a shot at helping you, at least for a second opinion. In my case, which is very different from yours, the doctors told me I would have no problem recovering from surgery, but I would live with the effects of radiation forever.

I'm not saying this to scare you about radiation. It may be the very best way to go for your situation. I'm suggesting that second, and third opinions are worth every bit of effort they take.

Cathy, I too would urge you to get several opinions on your best course of treatments. If I could have done surgery alone It would have been a snap compared to radiation. Radiation sounds nice and conveniant but compared to the surgery it was considerably more challenging (and the long term effects can be a real pain).

My comments here are NOT to influence you away or towards either treatment. Just do whatever gives you the best outcome as per the experts (and don't worry if that includes some changes in the way you look). Squamous cell is not a cancer to fool with. That is why you should have more doctors give their opinion.

I wish you well.