just wanted to say thanks

This is my first post and I just wanted to say thanks for all the support and help getting me through this Tough time… I was diagnosis with throat cancer back in June 2011, SSC right tonsil stage 4 several lymph nodes involved HPV+, a few weeks later I had my tonsils removed and all my teeth pulled to get ready for treatment, 3 rounds of chemo and 35 rads… All I could think is why me, All the docs could tell me is it came from smoking and drinking, well where in the hell did the HPV come from, I been with my wife for 16 years and she don’t have hpv, well what come first the hpv or the cancer, they don’t know.. It would seem like they would know if they trying to say that this is a hpv cancer and it is very treatable.. Anyway to make a long story short I finished treatment on October 27 2011 35 rads and 3 rounds of chemo, never had a feeding tube and lost about 35 lbs to date, went back to work on January 1 2012 and had been doing good until I had a radical neck dissection on jan 29 on my right side I think they removed 3 nodes, only 1 night in the hospital and im back home doing good.. I go back this Wednesday to have my staples removed and find out the news on what the nodes are positive or not, please keep me in all your prayers for a negative.. I will let everybody know Wednesday what I find out and I just wanted to say thanks again for all the great info that helped me get through this obstacle in my life; this is a really great site……

Comments

  • hawk711
    hawk711 Member Posts: 566
    tough guy
    you sound like a tough guy...back to work so soon....Sending thoughts and prayers for your first NED. (no evidence of desease)...Keep up the positive thoughts and don't worry how you got it, just get rid of it....Wishing you the best as you get to full health.
  • Daddisgrl
    Daddisgrl Member Posts: 116
    Have a look at the HPV post
    Have a look at the HPV post here

    They do not know much about HPV; but they know it can live for years without doing anything. Read the 2 articles linked- I quoted parts of both; they know it can sleep for over 30 years.

    We're similar to you 2; my hub is positive while I'm negative. There are others on other cancer boards that have been married longer. Hopefully they will find the info out; so that we'll live to see the answer.
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    I just ate dinner last week
    with another member of this board, who has a history almost identical to yours. Ten positive nodes on one side, 1 on the other. His node disection was about 6 months after rads ended, and he's now NED 18 months out. Well, to say I ate dinner with him is a misnomer. He ate dinner while I had a malt, as I'm not able to eat right now, but that's another story:)

    Best wishes

    Pat
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    HPV....
    STGIII SCC Tonsils..HPV+ also...

    They don't have any defimitive answers to a lot of questions concerning HPV as of yet....

    It's pretty much agreed that it can lay dormant in your body for decades. Also it's pretty much agreed on that if you've gone through all that you have and your wife shows up negative, more than likely she will continue to stay negative.

    Recent studies and reports say that nearly 80% of the population 30 and under have been exposed to HPV...most of the time your immune system fights it off, just like cancer.

    In your case, it really doesn't matter much...treatment is the same...

    Congrats on everything to date...

    Thoughts and prayers for good results,
    John
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    Daddisgrl said:

    Have a look at the HPV post
    Have a look at the HPV post here

    They do not know much about HPV; but they know it can live for years without doing anything. Read the 2 articles linked- I quoted parts of both; they know it can sleep for over 30 years.

    We're similar to you 2; my hub is positive while I'm negative. There are others on other cancer boards that have been married longer. Hopefully they will find the info out; so that we'll live to see the answer.

    Postive...
    Just curious, how have they determined your hubby is positive?
  • Daddisgrl
    Daddisgrl Member Posts: 116
    Skiffin16 said:

    Postive...
    Just curious, how have they determined your hubby is positive?

    Stage 4 tonsil cancer; DX
    Stage 4 tonsil cancer; DX 9/1/2009 - finished treatment (3 chemo 33 rads) 12/24/2009
  • Daddisgrl
    Daddisgrl Member Posts: 116
    Skiffin16 said:

    HPV....
    STGIII SCC Tonsils..HPV+ also...

    They don't have any defimitive answers to a lot of questions concerning HPV as of yet....

    It's pretty much agreed that it can lay dormant in your body for decades. Also it's pretty much agreed on that if you've gone through all that you have and your wife shows up negative, more than likely she will continue to stay negative.

    Recent studies and reports say that nearly 80% of the population 30 and under have been exposed to HPV...most of the time your immune system fights it off, just like cancer.

    In your case, it really doesn't matter much...treatment is the same...

    Congrats on everything to date...

    Thoughts and prayers for good results,
    John

    What seems to be common is
    What seems to be common is so far most have had some sort of trauma before diagnosis. My hub fell from his car carrier (10/2007); top deck & survived that. A coworker of his had a similar fall & did not make it. The next year (8/2008) he had what looked like bug bites; biopsy confirmed discoid lupus (immune system). He then noticed a swollen node in his neck; my daughter had one too so we didn't think anything of it until he returned from vacation; the lupus flared; he saw the derm who questioned the swollen node which was now pretty large. 2 needle biopsies later along with ultrasound; CT; MRI & PET- stage 4 diagnosis.
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    Daddisgrl said:

    Stage 4 tonsil cancer; DX
    Stage 4 tonsil cancer; DX 9/1/2009 - finished treatment (3 chemo 33 rads) 12/24/2009

    Positive
    I meant you referenced him as being positive, I presumed you meant currently.... I was just wondering what testing might have been done post treatment to confirm that, was all....

    Best,
    John