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blast from the past!
Hello everyone! It has been SO very long since I've been on here. I had some computer issues, got rid of said computer and now I am accessing thru my iPad. I've missed you all and hope you are all well. So far I'm NED, yay! Please know I never ever go a day without thinking of you all and thankful for all that you did to…
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Current patient and wanted to introduce myself
Hello all, I am new to the group and am posting my situation in case someone has a similar situation and has questions. I was diagnosed with stage iv SCC N-0 March 2014. I had surgery to remove the tumor in my sinus cavity and my soft palette was removed with some hard palette, due to personal feelings about quality of…
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New caregiver need advise
Hello to all, I am new to this entire process. My husband was just diagnosed with 2.5cm mass on base of tongue. He also has a spot on lung found by accident when is CT scan was done. The surgeon said no surgery because it is too large. We meet with the radiologist on Tuesday. What questions should we ask about his…
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Friend that refuses treatment
I would like to know answers to some important topics. I am now a 13 month survivor of stage 4 tongue based squamus cell cancer. A life log friend was recently diagnosed with stage 2-3 of the same thing. I completed the full operation/chemo/radiation treatment. My friend just decided to refuse normal treatment and go to a…
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So many new people...
Just reading the posts over the last week or so, it seems that there is a whole new "class" of folks lined up to receive treatment or are just beginning their treatments. I just wanted to say I'm thinking of ALL of you. It is such a rough and rocky road, but you will make it. My husband and I have hit the 6 month post…
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I found this product.....
via a friend who's dad is going through throat cancer. Granted it's not full of calories, BUT it's a protein powder that comes in flavors other than vanilla and chocolate.....it actually comes "unflavored" so can be added to anything that could use a boost in protein. You could get 21 grams of protein in a glass of water .…
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Day 1 in the books
and I am so proud of my husband. Radiation and Chemo (cisplatin) done like a champ. It was such a long day, and I am so glad my parents were here to get my kids from school and make them dinner because we didn't get home until late. I cried a lot today, but my husband was so strong. He doesn't feel any different so…
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Freaking out!!
My husband went for his first post treatment pet scan and we are scheduled to meet with our ENT on Friday to discuss the results. This afternoon, his oncologist called to tell my husband that he has seen the pet scan and the BOT in the tongue looks very, very good...small spot there but it may be inactive/dead and that the…
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Surgery in the books
Well surgery was on the 10th and went as well as could be expected. At least that is word on the street as I was still drooling and staring for several hours after the operation. Medical team rocked and after 8 hours sent me to ICU for some needed rest LOL. Nurses and staff were all so professional making me as comfortable…
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Update on Mom
I don't know who remembers me but I posted on here for the first time last year when my mom first found out she had head and neck cancer and had moved to her lymph nodes. Well she finished treatment. Terrible side effects. She finished first week of September with 12 chemo treatments and 34 radiation treatments. She can't…
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Auction quilt UPDATED
So I posted the wallhanging/quilt in an earlier post. Here is a picture of my husband and I with Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly - who is a survivor of H&N SCC. He was kind enough to sign the quilt and it was auctioned off and brought in $150. Very emotional evening for my husband and I. Barbara
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New to this, but getting experience real quick
Hi to all out there and my sincere best wishes to the same I have only recently joined this elite club and have paid my membership dues in full. When I first heard the nasty "C" word, it most certainly came as far more than just a shock. It was a smack upside the head of the most gargantuan proportions. I very quickly…
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Rad/Chemo starts next week
My husband is ready. I am scared. So where I left off was that my husband had stage 1 (T1N0M0) oral tongue cancer that had not spread to any lymph nodes. There was perinueral invasion so we were deciding between careful monitoring and further treatment. On Nov. 19th, we spent 9 hours at doctor's offices at MD Anderson and…
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Physical Therapy?
I was wondering if anyone has had any PT done to help ease the tense muscles on your shoulder from a neck dissection? I was going to ask the doctor about it when I see him next week. Ibuprofen helps some but not that much. I use biofreeze a lot that helps some. But just sitting in the chair watching tv I can feel the…
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MOUTH WASH
When I started my radation ,I joined a trial study on different mouth washes,to numb you so you could eat. The study had 3 different washes. I was luckey and the one I got worked.!! It would num my throath about 2hrs. I don"t know if you can get it but it was great. It is doxepin hydrochloride oral solution,usp…
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Submandibular gland swollen
I've searched everywhere trying to find some answer, since my family isn't particularly supportive, they would prefer to bury their heads. Anyways, I am 30 years old, female. About a year ago I noticed a gland on the left side of my throat under my jaw was swollen. i left it alone for a few months, until it started growing…
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving! I know that I personally have an awful lot to be thankful for this year (and every year!) I am truly thankful for all of my family here on CSN! I hope you all have a great day with friends and family! Love you all!!
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A big scare...and lessons learned
So the main lesson learned is that you need to transition to real food by mouth S-L-O-W-L-Y. For the past month I've been helping my husband try to eat some foods by mouth again. Mostly I've been doing pureed soups, yogurt, applesauce etc. Well today he took the nurse practitioners that work in his clinic out to lunch for…
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Filling for cavity post-radiation
Hi, I am almost two weeks post-radiation and require a filling for a cavity. I have read about needing antibiotics for extensive dental work such as extractions, but haven't seen anything about precautions for a filling. My dentist thinks I shouldn't need any antibiotics. Of course, my radiation oncologist's office isn't…
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scan results
Both head & neck and chest CTs were negative. Don't think there will ever come a time that I don't cry for happy when I hear those results. The anxiety is so bottled up and just explodes. Prayers answered thank you all.
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ROLLCALL 2015 - UPDATED NOV. 1, 2015
ROLL CALL 2015 Roll Call is dedicated to the memory of HAWVET (JOHNNY) who’s curiosity to know and to share a little bit about members of the Head and Neck Form inspired him to start and run this thread (2008 thru 2014). Thank You. First off, please feel free to Enroll (name, town, state, dx) or Check-In whenever you see…
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Sudden sensorineural hearing loss
A few weeks ago my husband was fitted with hearing aids and things were GREAT! He was hearing better than he had in years...or at least since the Cisplatin accelerated his hearing loss. He was no longer asking people to repeat everything, no longer leaning in to hear people. The bluetooth directly to his mobile phone was…
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Nasopharynx is....
....clear! Whoo Hoo....Yippie Ki Yi.....Woopie.....Hallaluah....!!!! Dr. called a little while ago with the biopsy results. He took several biopsies of the nasopharynx, all of them were clear. Ended up with 3 nodes with cancer, not just the two that we saw on the PET scan.....one is excapsulated, so that means chemo again…
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What Cancer cannot do - UPDATE
Am posting this for everyone...and especially for those on the board here who are in the middle of their treatment. Big fundraiser coming up for the cancer center where my husband works and was treated, so I made this wallhanging to be auctioned off. I figured the person who buys it can use the outside rectangles as a…
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Damn! The drain hole
from the neck dissection won't quit leaking. It was fine Tues and most of yesterday....then last night when I was getting undressed for bed the cork blew out, and it drenched my camisole....soaked it. I put another bandaid on it, but woke up this morning and my pj's are soaked. Put gauze and tape over it, and it is now…
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First post here - hubby is 7 weeks out
Hi all, I'm new here, but have been reading your posts since last summer when my hubby was dx with tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma. He had 35 doses of radiation and 7 weekly doses of Cisplatin. From what I can tell by reading here, he had a pretty severe reaction to the chemo. He was dehydrated, fell down, had…
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Keitter doing a little better
Hi Everone: I got an e-mail from Keitter the Chemo is giving her a good butt kicking but it sounds like she is doing a lot better this week. She also has a lot of her family coming in for the holidays, especially her Mother and Sisters. She said to thank you all for remembering her in your prayers. That’s what family is…
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Food Aversion
Hi, I just wanted to run something by you guys. Heading into my fourth week of TX. Starting last week I developed a food aversion (made that up). First I was full after a couple bites and of course food tastes either weird or bad. Then the metallic taste started and I was sick after eating a few bites. Now it just seems…
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Appetite after rad treatments
I finished my rad treatments after tumor removal at base of tongue and partial dissection of one lymph node level 1 just under right jaw. Last rad treatment was on Sept. 21st. I have a feeding tube but I can eat most anything now. I have a little bit of a hard time with any tough meats because I only have my front teeth…
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How a bad day turned into a very good day
Where do I even begin? My husband had a partial glossectomy and selective neck dissection on Nov. 4th. Recovery was going very well until last night when out of the blue, he bit his tongue pretty hard. After applying pressure with gauze and not getting the bleeding to stop, his doctor advised us to go to the ER. To make a…