my mother passed in dec. and the are still un- answered questions. She had cancer in her throat and her doctor told her it was nothing. Then she went to another doctor and they said yes it is cancer but it won't spread. They told her to stop smoking and drinking beer ( she had been for about 30 yrs). She finally started to stop at the end of her radiation. But then she had to start low chemo and no more beer or smoking! yippie! not really. she lost her short term memory. and why???? one doctor said from stopping drinking, another said it was the oxy. ???????? then she couldn't eat beacause she still had a bump in her throat a few months later. her doctor that told her was nothing in the begining said it was probably a yeast infection. Then just as my dad was alowed to make my moms medical decisions, she was having a really bad sunday. she was rushed to the hospital and found that it had come back and way bigger.the doctor put the food bag in her and hoped it would help for a few days. just enough to geet to stupid thing cut out. but she passed that following sunday (one week from when they found it). So questions not answered......
-doctors tell you to quit drinking and smoking, then you do and it may have caused you to lose your short term memory and because of that you don't remember that you aren't supposed to start again and the cancer comes back worse.
-the silly doctor that told you that it was nothing tells you it was a yeast infection. but the medicine wasn't working to get rid of it. and only scanned your liver, thinking it could of been there instead of were the cancer was in the first place.
why???i know i can't blame the doctors or warning labels. but i have the same doctor and i don't know how much i can trust her.

If your mother had a 30 year drinking problem where she drank everyday, it is indeed possible that stopping the alcohol caused her some temporary memory problems. Going cold turkey off nicotine could do that as well. Pain killers (Is that what you were referring to with "the oxy"?) can also make make you muddled. I suspect the combination of all 3 may have made her really confused for a while. But really none of that is the doctor's fault.

I'm actually surprised they did the radiation if she went into it still drinking and smoking and didn't "start to stop" until "the end of her radiation". That's setting up a situation where she probably had all the pain and suffering and a far less likely chance of it working. But that's not the doctor's fault. It's a sign your mother was really addicted.

And for the dcotor to say after treatment that the "bump in her throat" was a yeast infection may have been because she (the doc) couldn't feel a bump--and to do a scan so soon after treatment would have resulted, quite possibly in a false positive. Still, though I'm not a doctor, I can understand your frustration that it turned out to be a recurrence and she dismissed it.

I'm really sorry for your loss. I just lost my father recently and I know how hard it is to lose a parent. But overall, some of this sounds to me like the recurrence could have been a result of your mother engaging in the behavior, during treatment, that caused the cancer in the first place, hard though I'm sure that is for you to hear. IMO, there's nothing you've said here that makes me think the doctor was totally incompetent. But I'm not a dcotor here myself. So I hope the main thing you can understand in what I'm saying is I am really sorry you lost your mother so soon after she went through the treatment.

Nelie

Oh lildewey
So sorry to hear about your mom.
Read all you can about oral cancer (there's lots of information on this site, a lot of it 'technical', but still, lots of information,)

Cancer, in any form, can strike anyone, any time.
Drinking and smoking are known triggers for oral and lung cancer, and possibly for others as well.
Oh, and fat intake, lack of exercise, not enough fruit n veg and stuff are all thought to be linked to cancer, heart disease etc.

But many people on this site are young, living healthy lifestyles and STILL getting oral cancer, in all it's ugly forms.

If you're not happy with your doctor, just change to another, tell the new one the 'history' of your mom and read all you can about keeping YOURSELF healthy.

Again, so sorry, you must be be so upset right now,

Brenda

The Dr must not have been a Comprehensive Cancer Dr. WOW a yeast infection yet. You have all my prayers as well as most on this site. I hope you get satisfaction in the end.

It is very easy to lay the blame for having Oral Cancer ,failure of treatment ,and recurrance solely at the feet of lifestyle.
The truth is, that yes life style is a proven major contributory factor in some cases,but there are also many many people on this site who have never smoked,never had an alcohol reliance and are fit and healthy prior to their diagnosis.They follow the Doctors treatment plans to the letter and still reoccurance and death will follow.

Trying to lay blame for your Mothers passing is quite natural,as is all the "what if questions " you will torture yourself with for many years to come,but that is the very essence of the various stages of bereavment,as is anger, frustration and loss of faith in the so called experts.

Sometimes plain ignorance can be the major factor in the poor diagnosis and treatment of Oral Cancer with so many people,both professional, and the man in the street being unfamiliar with its existence ,its treatment and most of all its outcome,particularly if the sufferer gets the advice and then chooses to ignore it.

Bottom line is its too late for your Mum amd my husband and unfortunately too many others to mention,but from every failure comes learning and the hope of a better outcome for those who follow.
Thats what this site is all about,and its unfortunate that you didnt find your way here sooner,when perhaps the experience of others and the information available may have helped you feel more able to tackle the course of your Mums illness,and be more in control of the situation.

Brian Hill and his team who set up and administer this site, devote their lives to getting the message out to the world about this most unspoken form of cancer and those of us who used the tools of knowledge and support to help us on our journey are eternally grateful for it,so arm yourself with this knowledge and do what you can to make sure no one else you know or care about,or even those you dont know have to suffer what you are going through now.

I am sorry for your loss,but sometimes shit happens and at the time their is nothing we can do about it.

Sorry about your Mom. A quick scope of the throat could have confirmed the yeast infection, I think. I was told my enlarged tonsil was a cryptic tonsil for two years. I suppose because I was young, healthy and fit. There is a bit of ignorance out there on the part of doctors. I feel as though if my ENT had known about the HPV-oral cancer link, he MIGHT have been more alarmed and maybe even asked me if I knew whether or not I had HPV.

I can't imagine waiting 2 years for a "real" diagnosis. I waited 6 months from beginning of tonsil swollen until diagnosed and that was eternity for me. I was young and pregnant and the doctor thought I was too healthy to be "sick".
My suggestion to anyone,INSIST ON TESTS. I did and I hate to think where I would be if I hadn't.

Honey,
There are so many things that could have affected your outcome.......
I'm so sorry....
Bless your heart....
Mandi