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feeding tube
I was wondering if anyone has/had a problem with the hole in their stomach where the feeding tube soes into the stomach stinking? My tube has an awful smell that never goes away. It is and always has drained and I believe that is the probelm but I've seen the doctor about it 2 times and he says that is nothing wrong. I…
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I DESPARATELY NEED YOUR KNOWLEDGE - PLEASE HELP ME
Group, I just got results from a PET scan and need your help. When the doctor gave me the results he said, "the scan shows activity but maybe its just leftover radiation." I find that hard to believe and feel he is sugar coating the results. My family is thinking maybe it is swelling, tissue, throat irriation. Do you…
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New to this Board- A couple of Questions
I was diagnosed with SCC w/unknown Primary in Sept. 09. Had two triple endoscopies with multiple biopsies as well as a tonsillectomy with no primary found. Just the lymph nodes it had spread to. I finished 9 weeks of induction chemo with taxol & carboplatin 3 weeks ago and will begin chemo (cisplatin) w/radiation on…
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Too much information???
Wondering how much information you all get from your doctors regarding your scans and what type of post scanning is used? I have gone for two CT scans now and find them to be very exact in their findings and more thorough than a PET or MRI. Perhaps too thorough! My initial test was an MRi which found an enlarged lymph…
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Strange and Stranger
What makes things taste odd? What makes water taste better?? Any thoughts are most helpful! Stacey
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Wondering what might go wrong next but not giving up hope
Husband 42 years young diagnosis scc HPV stage 4 right side 5 nodes involved. neck dissection may 1 2009 Peg tube placed right after surgery.Chemo and radiation 8 weeks ended july 29th 2009.Had pain meds but did not use until end of radiation and then just to sleep.Some nausea but really through it all did pretty well…
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TPF Chemotherapy or Hospice - Need HELP/ADVICE!
Hi all, I am new to this Cancer Network and have signed up on behalf of my Dad. He is 65 years old and battling tongue cancer. He has already went through the following treatments and is now faced with what seems like the final crossroad. 1. Surgery to remove tumor on base of tongue in Jun 2009 2. Cancer returned 2 months…
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Hi everyone!!
I just have to share my good news! I had my first MRI yesterday, and it came back clean!!! I was so nervous, as your mind tends to think from bad to good and back again! lol! My next one is in 3 months. OH! I am reading the Anti-Cancer book. It is difficult for me because we live in such a small town, with only one grocery…
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HPV and cancer care among the dinosaurs
At what point in your diagnosis/treatment process were you informed about the potential significance of the HPV virus to mouth and throat cancers? Never? During follow-up on that first discovery of a metastatic tumor? By your PCP? By your oncologist? Radiologist? Perhaps I'm expecting too much too soon. A 3-cm lymph node…
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coughing alot after 2yrs after total laryngectomy
went to see my ent dr 3weeks ago everything was ok but i cough alot does anybody that has had this operation have the same problem cant go out to eat because i start to cough hate to go anywhere
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Malignant Neoplasm
In 2007 I had a malignant neoplasm removed that was hidden deep inside my face between the eye and nose. I originally thought that a tiny speck on my nose was a repeat of a basal cell carcinoma (and so did my surgeon). I have had the most wonderful surgeon and I'm going to see him next week to resolve a question that I…
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New member - history & intro - may have been underestimating!
I'm starting a thread here, although I actually just posted this on another (PEG Tube one), as I didn't understand the system - sorry for the repeat. The background: Since @ Oct been going through the diagnosis process. Starting with maybe a little acid reflux causing voice box burn...through left cord T1a small cancer…
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Newly diagnosed, scared and confused
I went to my GP in July and complained about a large lump on the left side of my neck. He prescribed antibiotics. In October I went back and the lump was larger than ever so he referred to an ENT and ordered a CT scan and ultra-sound. The ENT placed me on antibiotics and biopsied the lump. (the CT-Scan results showed a…
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Tooth care after radiation
When I was undergoing treatment for Stage III tonsil SCC at Johns Hopkins (Cisplatin, rads and surgery) I had a dentist, a specialist in this field, assigned to my case. Among the things he told me was to instruct my local dentist and dental hygienist to always remove the plaque from my teeth manually (manual scaling, they…
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Pet Scan Results
Just returned from appt. with the radiation oncologist and 3 month Pet Scan resutlts after radiation and chemo. We couldn't be happier, and his radiation onco also repeated this. An A+ result - no sign of cancer anywhere in my hubby's body at this time. He will, of course, continue to follow up with his ENT monthly and his…
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I made it
Hi everybody Just wanted to you to know, I made it through the surgery Friday, and the primary was found (right tonsil) and I am doing pretty good. OTO said a very successful surgery!! Praise God!! Thanks to everyone for all the prayers. Steve
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PET-CT "not medically necessary"
I'm wondering if anyone else has had difficulty obtaining permission from their comprehensive Anthem Blue Cross coverage for a PET-CT scan after surgery to remove a 3-cm lymph node from the neck which biopsied to be a metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Is this going to be a trend? Does Blue Cross fear an excessive number…
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pain meds
Hello again everyone hope you are all having a great day.We go see his new medical oncologist on the 1oth.He is not seeing an ENT anymore because the last 3 said there is no more surgery to be done.But they do have him on this new chemo(erbitux).He started that on jan20 it,s 1 day a week for two weeks then 4 day,s in…
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Your Fast Food Favorites?
Hi everyone. So how many of you tell the counter person at McDonalds you are a cancer patient and need two syrups to get those hotcakes down. Luckily they don't normally give me a hard time. I imagine that most of us have had to change their eating habits while eating out as the lack of saliva and swallowing issues becomes…
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Pros and cons of neck dissection - where is this thread?
Sorry, I'm still having a bit of trouble navigating the site. Someone referenced this very good thread - in the "Oral Cancer Forum." Where do I find that? And then, there is a "Currently under Treatment" subheading under that? With a thread titled "Pros and Cons of Neck Dissection?" Where do I start? Thanks for any help…
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almost final pathology
Hey everyone, Had a pretty busy and informative week. Saw my OTO today and he said everything looked good healing progressing fine. Also met with my rad onco and really better understand what lies ahead for me. 33 daily treatments @70 grays beginning about the 20th of this month. The onco has already prescribed a mouthwash…
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Rad-Chemo vs. Neck Disection
Hi all, before my treatment, my Doc offered the radical neck disection prior to beginning rads and chemo. However, he said that whether I had the disection or not that the result after chemo-rads would be the same. I opted for no surgery on that advice. I know some of you had both. Could you please comment on what…
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Husband had neck dissection with tonsil removal on Tuesday.
Hello everyone, I am new to this site and wanted to share my story and get feedback. My husband found a mass in his neck and after biopsy was told it was SCC. He had surgery on Tuesday and had it removed along with his tonsils. He is still in the hospital and is struggling with the pain management. We were told 2-3 day…
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Amiphostine
I've been through one chemo--Cisplatin--and a week of radiation treatments at this point. My worse reaction to anything at this early stage of treatment was to the IM injections of Amiphostine that I got for two days prior to radiation. Amiphostine is given to increase and prolong the life of the salivary glands. Some…
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ALT
Hello all I had a non-fasting blood draw yesterday and the results were all normal except for the ALT (live enzyme). It had been high, and a little more than a month ago it was still high (87), but now it is double that. It measures the amount of inflammation and typically is a sign of cirrhosis - not good when heading…
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Hiatal hernia
Hey everybody, I have heard a lot of people talk about severe acid reflux with treatments. Is this from chemo or radiation or a combination of both. I have been diagnosed about 4 mths. ago with a severe hiatal hernia. I just want to know so I can ask the proper questions to the docs I see this week. As always, thanks to…
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Metastatic SCC just removed, now in waiting mode, quaking in fear.
I had a lymph node removed from my upper right neck on January 20th. I learned on the 27th that it was a "metastatic poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma." I've been scoped three times, and my ENT Doc still doesn't have any idea where the primary tumor is located. I admit that I am beginning to lose faith in him,…
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Need some tips on helping husband eat
Hello Eveyone, My husband is just finishing his 4th week of radiation 5 days a week/Erbitux 1 per week treatment for throat and neck cancer. Now has significant mucus build up which keeps him up at night coughing and has interfered in swallowing. Has been drinking Carnation VHC drinks and mils shakes but wondering if the…
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Sore throat still
I know there is no "normal" when it comes to cancer...but...does it seem right, to still have a sore throat after 3 months out of treatment? I do have an appt. for my first MRI on Feb.4. I am anxious, nervous, scared and all the rest:) It's not sore all of the time, and there is no rhyme or reason for when it is sore. Is…
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No PEG when having radiation on neck
Wondering if anyone has feed-back on how they did not using the PEG feeding tube during treatment. I had tonsils removed now they are going to start chemo & radiation. I cannot imagine pain in throat could be worse than what I just went through?