Tongue Cancer

wbcgaruss

Marie Parker said:

Tongue cancer & scared

My husband Mike of 33 years was diagnosed Aug 11,2020 with stage 3 oraphanael squamous cell carcinoma . Surgery is scheduled Sept 15th they want to remove half of his tongue , rebuild tongue , neck dissection . He is 55 years old . He is disabled has had a broken back has donor disk , plate & screws.  He is kinda a big man 230 lbs 5'11. Always tries to stay busy. Our 2 grand babies ages 3 & 5 stay with us much of the time.  He is afraid he will loose alot of weight quickly , look and sound like a monster? . He is concerned about the quality of life he will have ? He says he doesn't want to be a burden on the family. I am by his side 100%  Our grand babies are what helps him get up every day .  Any advise ? 

If You Trust

The diagnosis of Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma cancer and you trust your cancer team then they should be available to answer any of his questions to ease his worry. There are folks who have had this done and still lead a good life. Please check with your medical team to see what the post-op and longer-term recovery will be. They should be able to tell you anything that may come up and how to handle it and they should be there for you with pain meds short term and anything else long term you may need. You can also get a second opinion at another treatment center and you don't say where you are being treated but folks on here say if you can go to a major cancer center it is advantageous https://www.verywellhealth.com/best-hospitals-for-cancer-treatment-514514    

If there is a serious chance of weight loss they will help him deal with it. If need be a temporary feeding tube may need to be installed. Many of us on here have had them.

As far as his looks his tongue if anyone sees it may be a little differently colored. But it is better than the alternative. He certainly won't look like a monster.

Tell us about your medical team and do you feel confident with them. If so and the diagnosis is correct you have to act and get this treated. Cancer won't stop on its own. It will keep advancing. I know this is a difficult time as many of us have experienced this as there are many questions and unknowns at this time.

Write down all your questions, concerns, and worries and get with your medical team to get them answered and take the fear and worry out of this. Knowledge is power.

If you don't get enough responses here you may find it advantageous to start a new post of your own-Take Care-God Bless

Logan51

Marie

Others here can tell of tongue removal, or partial. I knew a man who had a lot of his tongue removed @ the U of Iowa Hospital, thanks to the ineptness of the locals with his initial treatment for H&N. Talking was difficult and changed, but that's where a Speech Therapist comes into play, post-Op.

Russ is right-on about the major C Centers being the places to go- especially when something drastic is proposed by the Dr.s. Could be an alternative, or your Hubby might be better off having it done at a major Center.

Best of luck, and Prayers. At 55, you and he have many years yet to share.

rocky99

Hooray...............................

Hello Everyone,

 

Finally the day has arrived. I got my CT scan result which was negative. My Dr also examined my tongue, inside mouth and throat and all looks in great.

I am cancer free................ 

I need to visit m Dr. every 2 to 3 months for examiniation just to make sure all is in good shape.

Thank you team and God bless you.

Thanks.

big G

rocky99 said:

Hooray...............................

Hello Everyone,

 

Finally the day has arrived. I got my CT scan result which was negative. My Dr also examined my tongue, inside mouth and throat and all looks in great.

I am cancer free................ 

I need to visit m Dr. every 2 to 3 months for examiniation just to make sure all is in good shape.

Thank you team and God bless you.

Thanks.

CT scan

Congrats on a clear scan rocky99! hope continued success for you. 

wbcgaruss

Here We Go

Another graduate with great news. NED never sounded so sweet. Congratulations on a clear scan and you have a doctor that is caring and wants to stay on top of things if he is seeing you every 3 months. As time goes on it will stretch out and it will be 6 months etc. Enjoy and relish in the success Rocky-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

rocky99

big G said:

CT scan

Congrats on a clear scan rocky99! hope continued success for you. 

Thanks Big G for your kind

Thanks Big G for your kind words.

rocky99

wbcgaruss said:

Here We Go

Another graduate with great news. NED never sounded so sweet. Congratulations on a clear scan and you have a doctor that is caring and wants to stay on top of things if he is seeing you every 3 months. As time goes on it will stretch out and it will be 6 months etc. Enjoy and relish in the success Rocky-Take Care-God Bless-Russ

Thanks for your good wishes.

Thanks for your good wishes. Do you suggest any food which is good to improve healthy life style and food/habits bad for  Cancer to come back? I never smoked/ never used Tobacco or any bad substance. I was occassional taking wine/alcohol, which I have completely stopped as well. I used to eat lean meat, but I have become completely vegetarion. 

Any other suggestions advise please?

Thanks.