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STGIII HPV+ SCC: anyone had only radiation?
i'm a 59-yo woman who found a lump in her throat 2 weeks ago, w/associated node. biopsies, scans, presentation to tumor board all done, and now i must decide whether to accept the whole recommended hog -- radiation, chemo, and then possible resection -- or to decline chemo. i'm reasonably savvy about medical matters. it…
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Happy chanukkah
Just in case there are members of the Jewish faith here, as well! We are a mixed marriage and celebrate life in a spiritual way that is not exactly affiliated with an organized religion. Maybe there are others battling cancer here that relate to a less structured religion? Anyhow, however you embrace the universe....happy…
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husband is in hospital;
Hi everyone this Christmas Eve, Just wanted to say my husband is back in hospitol has been for 2 days now, doctor wants to do a ct scan of his lower right jaw because he has a lot of swelling and he said he didn't look good. They took X-rays of his stomach and his lower lungs, He said that is stomach tools ok but has…
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New Squamous Cell Carcinoma Diagnosis
Hello, My name is Clinton, I am newly diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma(11/28/11 was the day I found out) and am still in the process of trying to find the primary tumor. My cancer was found because I noticed swelling in the right side of my neck below my jaw. Ct scan showed 3 lymph nodes involved and biopsy's…
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Another Merry Christmas and a big Thank You
Hi All, Just wanted to add my wishes for a Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays to all of you. Thank you so much for all you have done for me. You have helped me through the most difficult time of my life, and gave me the support and knowledge to be the best caregiver I could be to my husband. Each and every one of you…
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longtimesurviver
Your post to Mike regarding B.O.T. reaccurance percentages left me with a another question At the age of 78 and Diag. with the above plus lung and treatment of 36 rads neck & 36 to lung plus chemo of 8 all in a two month period.--left a little messed up. As I understand chemo has little value in B.O.T. I have a date with…
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flying
I was just wondering if anyone has flown since neck dissection and radiation or has anyone been advised against it? I just found out my sister is moving to washington and being in alabama, I think ill be flying more than i intended. Thanks Angel
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White pinhead nodule on left tonsil bed?
I had a diagnostic left tonsillectomy to confirm primary back in late September, it healed and before rads started in October, I noticed this white tiny nodule on the bed. It's always been there, I looked today and it either hasn't changed or looks a little smaller. 3 weeks ago, I mentioned it to my RO and he said it's…
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Tonsil Cancer Survivor
I'm new so hello everyone. In Feb of this year (2011) I woke up with a swelling on the right side of my neck. One Dr led to another Dr and I was diagnosed with tonsil cancer by my ENT. I was 56 years old. Before I had time to blink I had my right tonsil out and found myself admitted to a cancer ward for chemo - 100 hours…
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Study for SCC to test Chemo with Cetuximab
They want me to participate in a study the has standard Chemo treatment, but adds Cetuximab, which was developed by MD Anderson. They believe it will increase my chances of not getting cancer again in the future and are hoping this study will prove that. I just want to hurry up and get started. This kind of scares me, but…
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About to Start Rads and Chemo
I had radiation only in 2010 for laryngeal cancer. Unfortunately, it has returned; and I have undergone total laryngectomy. But the operation was unable to get all of the tumor. So I will be receiving radiation plus chemo come the first of the year. The chemo will be designed to sensitize cells to the effects of radiation.…
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Merry Christmas and Happy NED Year!
Hi Folks, I'm not on the site like I once was so just wanted to say Hello to all the newbies and Greetings to all the oldies here. Just received my best Christmas present of the year - 20 month post-tx PET results. All clear - still NED!! Happy Holidays to one and all and I hope for a NED for each and every one of you in…
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Ears and nose stuffy?
Is it supposed to feel like a perpetual cold? I'm am 10 days post rad and both my ears feel a little stuffed so my hearing gets affected. I can still plug my nose and pop them and that makes them feel a bit better. More frequently and usually overnight, my nose or one nostril gets plugged, which makes me breathe through my…
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Merry Christmas
Hi all: Just wanted to wish all my "CSN" buds a very Merry Christmas. I'm about to embark for NC to my in-laws for Christmas. Charlie's mom has been in the hospital since Sun. night with a kidney infection but they're thinking she'll be home maybe today. All went well with the goodies to the onc. and rad. onc. offices and…
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A mixed Christmas present
Buzz's latest scan (CT of the neck) showed resolution of the abscess he had in September with swelling still present in some areas but the word benign was mentioned. The oncologist thinks there is cancer there but we are not going to believe that unless a biopsy confirms it. Buzz is not having any more PET scans as he,…
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Finally
Got a clean PET! Best Christmas present ever. Celebrating with a 7 day backpacking trip in Grand Canyon over Christmas. Wishing all of you a healthy Christmas and many more New Years! AB
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HPV
After reading about HPV and how it affects the treatment outcome I went ahead and had my removed lymph node tissue tested. It turns out that I am P16 positive so hopefully my survival chances just went up. I really figured my situation was triggered by years of smoking although I quit 11 years ago. John
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food phobia?
hi all, my girlfriend who just completed the last chemo (cisplatin and 5fu) 3 weeks ago for NPC. She has no oral/throat pain whatsoever and the swallowing test shows she can eat without any problems. However, she has zero appetite and it seems she exhibits symptom of food phobia. when she sees food she gets upset and just…
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Stocking ideas
I need help. Not sure what to put in my husbnads stocking this year. I normally give him jerky, peanuts, etc. Any Suggestions from all you wonderful survivors.
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1 week post rads
Hopefully my swallowing is as worse as it gets, I can still swallow water but it is a chore to drink my feeds and I recently discovered I could syringe a whole can via my stomach tube if I split it into 2 sessions, 1 hour apart. I used to take a 2-3 hours dripping it through the feed bag and it gave me heartburn that way,…
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What to do????
I am new...learned lots already reading... My first H&N surgery was 1997. Now I've had 25+ surgeries. Had radiation (only) in 2010. The cancer came roaring back. Had what I call extreme surgery in Oct. was in the hops 12 days. Now feeding tube and trach. Had more surgery to take bone from the roof of my mouth in early Dec.…
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BOT recurrence?
I completed my rads + chemo for BOT MEC in May of 2009, and have had NED on all scans since then. Of course the big question is "Can my cancer come back?" The docs have told me that recurrence of this cancer is not common, and when it does happen, it would be rare for it to be located at or near the same place. After…
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Lump in throat sensation / right submandibular gland swelling in a 19yr old?
Some background: I'm a 19 yr old college student studying abroad in a foreign country right now. I'm in good health overall, don't smoke or do drugs, and have only drank alcohol in moderation in a handful of occasions. About two weeks ago, I had a lump in the throat sensation which I thought was due to stress (I'm very…
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I'm done!
Finished my last rad 35/35 today. Last Cisplatin is so far not too hard on me, I'm on day 5 and no nausea/hiccups when I had them before starting day 3 or 4. My lymph node is like a pea now, will it continue getting smaller? (Trying to avoid a neck dissection). I'm struggling to drink my supplement feeds, my stomach can…
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Cannot swallow
Hello everyone, another question. I can hardley swallow water now, and when I do it goes down the wrong pipe, so I end up coughing up most of the water. And whenever I do drink it comes out my nose. It seemed like it happened all of the sudden, I have not been able to swallow that well at all since my partial neck…
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Neti Pots
I just saw the report about the folks dying from amoeba infections from their Neti pots (misreported in places as a "bacterial" infection). Since so many H&NC folks use them, I thought I'd summarize the safety precautions: Use distilled or boiled water - I'd recommend buying the large jugs of steam-distilled water that…
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Second 90 day follow up today
All clear...
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Mucoepidermoid of the salivary gland
If anyone has had this type of cancer (stage II), please contact me. Thanks, Cheryl
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Couple of Eating questions
After 16 months,I had my Esophageal Dilation last Tuesday.........I can feel a difference when eating some soft foods and I can finally swallow tablets and pills again. Questions: 1-when I try to eat mashed potatoes or grits,both feel abrasive on my throat lining.Has anyone experienced this with these 2 foods and possibly…
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Can We Compare Notes on Gunk? Ewww Alert
Ugh. "Normally", I have small, polite gobs of goo that I hack up from time to time. After my neck dissection, it was more "substantial" (before, I regularly brought up very small amounts). Lately, my production has increased greatly - sometimes it's great green rubbery goo. Sometimes, I have a rough time with my "goo…