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Head and Neck Cancer

4 Years!
Today marks my 4th anniversary of ringing the bell after the end of rads. Time has passed quickly but I do recall how those first few weeks seemed to pass so slowly that I thought the earth had stopped turning. The side effects were hell and healing happened so slowly as to be unrecognizable unless you compared it in…
Struggling with eating
I think one of the toughest things for me two weeks in is dealing with how much of an effort eating is now. I'm still able to swallow without pain, but nothing tastes good, which affects my appetite, which then affects my mood and energy and so on. I've realized that I need to just move to tube feedings as I am struggling…
Biopsy positive but PET negative
Tribes Posts: 1 Joined: Jul 2016 Jul 06, 2016 - 6:22 pm Biopsy for BOT 15mm mass positive for Squamous cell Hi folks, brand new to this group. 12 days ago was scoped and the mass was found. Surgery to remote it and biopsy done. Was told that I had stage 1, ordered a whole body PET scan with additional head and neck and…
Ride for Roswell
What a difference a year makes! Last year I had to ride alone because my husband was in treatment for Stage 4 Nasopharyngeal cancer. This year we did 20 miles and crossed the finish together. The whole event consisted of over 7200 riders and volunteers and raised 4.5 million for Roswell Park Cancer Institute - a…
And now the tears
I've had my moments of fear about what each week would bring, but as I near my 8 treatments crammed into 6 days, I am in tears because it's all so overwhelming and getting beyond my emotions now. The burning doesn't help, the incredibly heavy and painful tongue, the lack of appetite and feeling like I have to get a certain…
is MRI enough to detect tumors in the neck or base of tongue?
I had a MRI of the neck yesterday. Can someone tell me if this is enough to detect tumors in the neck o base of tongue? Thank you! !
Burns
my neck is beginning to feel hot and burn a lot. I've been using the aloe gel and calendula cream. Hoping the raw area does not get worse. My skin is much darker. it's very obvious. Does this ever lighten up?
Gabapetin
My Doctor wants me to take gabapetin starting next weekend. I am just curious if anyone has taken this, does it help, and any thoughts about it. Thanks! Joanne
Post surgery tongue reconstruction
Has anyone here experienced tongue reconstructive surgery after their initial tumor dissection? My surgery and post rad treatments, has left my tongue tied down on the left side, making speech quite difficult. I plan on asking my surgeon for options in a couple of weeks. I cannot imagine living the rest of my life in this…
Emotional toll
I'm one week out from a 100mg dose of Cisplatin and still struggling with fatigue. Yesterday, after a foggy morning, I actually had a really great afternoon with more energy than i've had in a while. But, another bad night of sleep (struggling with gas pains) left me feeling quite down this morning. I have a nine year old…
23 down ... 10 to go!
Hey guys! Sharing my current status. This morning was # 23 with 10 rads remaining. Could not recieve # 5 of 6 on Cisplatin infusion yesterday because my platelets were too low. All other labs were ok, just platelets were low. The knew another dose of Cisplatin would cause them to dip even lower and did not want to risk the…
Epiglottis Cancer and Start of 6 weeks Radiation.
Hi Everyone, My name is Violet and im new to this site, im actually here for my Dad, I have been reading this site for a while now to find answers and help! The community here is truly amazing and i wish everyone the best! My Dad was diagnosed with Epiglottis cancer stage T2N0Mo SCC back in January 2016 and had operation…
Recovery post radiation - Squamous Cell Carcinoma - tongue
I was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the tongue on Apr 19, 2012, after Excision biopsy Conducted on Apr 14. Carcinoma was identified as Stage 1, T2, confined to Left margin of the Tongue. Underwent Brachytherapy in 5 sessions of 4Gy each, followed by 25 sessions of 2 Gy each Rapid Arc IGRT + IMRT on the Varian…
Sore throat !!!
hey everyone, hope you guys are doing well and fighting well. I am having a horrible sore throat every signle morning though on september ill be 2 years post radio treatment!! any advice???
Chapstick
Has anyone found a good Chapstick? most of the ones I've tried dry out my lips. One that is ok is Dr. dans but looking to try another one. If anyone has found one that has worked
Hyperbaric
Hello I had tongue cancer 16 years ago. Had surgery , radiation , and chemo. Loving all the side effects that come with radiation to the mouth and constantly dealing with losing teeth. I had 4 teeth removed and had the oxygen treatments 4 years ago. I then had another tooth pulled and had another 10 oxygen treatments. Now…
End of week 2
Finished my chemo and rads - 4/5 chemo and 23 rads to go. Have had a few recent problems and thought I'd share and see what others had to say/offer..... Have been taking Glutamine mixed with 6 oz. of water 3x daily and last at night before going to bed, letting it linger in my throat after swishing it around. On Thurs.…
My radiation journey - Week 7
Today is my last radiation treatment. Nearly 7 long weeks, I am so ready to put this behind me. Thank you all for the advice and consolation. Me and my couch are having a wonderful relationship right now. This was pretty rough. I will post my recovery process for those behind me.
One and done.
Yesterday I finished up five rads and had my first cisplatin infusion on Tuesday. Those first few days were rough. Manager to hold off the nausea, but all I wanted to do was sleep. Today is my first day without having to take anti-nausea meds, and while i still seem to be in chemo brain fog, my energy is getting…
Tongue issue
Hi everyone, I'm almost done with week 2 and i have a thick white stripe on the left side of my tongue. I am not having rads to the tongue, just the left side of my head where the parotid bed is and some lymph nodes. I have some metal fillings and i do wear mouth guards but i wondered if i should be concerned about this or…
My journey so far
I was diagnosed with Stage IV Moderate differentiated invasive squamous cell carinoma of left base of tongue, left glossopharyngeal sulcus and left palattine tonsilla area on 16 Feb 16. I also had a swollen gland on the right side of my neck at the point of the jaw. This was surgically removed and biopsied as a Warthins…
Day 1 of week 5
I started having pain in my ear and throat by the second week. Third week there was a bit of nausea and fatigue. Also loss of taste buds, but not all or for everything. Sores felt worse the end of week two. I think week 4 was better. I can taste cucumbers. Chicken is tasteless, same for potatoes, but I'm enjoying yucca…
Some laughs at my compromised speech mistakes...
Sometimes I feel a bit embarrased about my less than perfect speech post-rads (and the knowledge that it's not really going to improve much beyond my 90% recoup...but then something happens to make me laugh about that. And two funny things definitely happened recently. While I was eating lunch last week (and I always get…
Peg Tube is gone
I've had my tube for 6 months. So, after getting the all clear after my PET scan it was time for it to go. We had a love/hate relationship. Got the tube removed yesterday and it is remarkable how fast the hole begins to heal.Took all of 5 seconds to remove, but Doc was instructing an intern on how to do it. "This time pull…
Cheapest places to buy ScandiShakes
I know several members going into recovery...and actively in recovery...are maintaing weight with Scandi. An excellent product to be sure, but it is spendy. A case of 24 would last me about a week (three per day) and I used it for many months, so it really is $$$. I found Amazon to be expensive. Family OTC has a better…
Starting treatment today-nervous!
Hi everyone, Quick intro: I am a 42 year old who was recently diagnosed with HPV+ stage III SCC. The tumor site sits between my tonsils and I have two affected lymph nodes. Today I start the standard seven weeks of radiation and tomorrow I go in for my first of three infusions of cisplatin. I live on Vashon Island, which…
My radiation journey - Week 6
Week 6 has been terrible. The effects of all this has hit me hard, as expected. I have 4 treatments left, one neck and tongue, then 3 tongue booster treatments, which will wreak more havoc on my already blistered tongue. Eating solids is nearly impossible, even with the meds, which I started this week. Shakes are my…
Oral Cancer-Confused Need Advice
Hi Everyone! I am on here to find answers about my Dad's cancer he has been fighting for seven years. The doctors have been so vague during this whole process to the point we don’t really even know what type of cancer it really is. My Dad is 55 years old, a marathon runner, a successful business man and an all around down…
Oral Cancer
Excision of left cheek followed by a radical neck dissection.
I just got diagnoised with oral cancer and am scared!
Dont know what to say---found a white lump on my tongue, it is cancer and I go to a team of doctors on friday to discuss treatment. Anyone have mouth cancer? Any encouraging news/words?

Head and Neck Cancer

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