Right side tonsil cancer spread to 2 right lymph nodes

wbcgaruss

Soldier of Love

1. Hello this is Soldier of Love. Please do your self a huge favor and try to be around positive uplifting people who will not keep you down both emotionally and physically on any level. My diagnoses was similar to yours with a few more challenges added to pot. I was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the right tonsil with metastasis to the lymph node, a type of head and neck cancer, on july 8th, 2019 two days after my 50th birthday. I had a radical tonsillectomy and right neck dissection. Tuma size was 3 cm with a lymphovascular invasion on A5 and A6 to be 4.4 cm. It was a PHD from Harvard who used a Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS). No chemo or Rad was neccassary. I was told I was cured of the cancer. The surgery was a success but being that it was metastasis complicates recurrence and survival rates. Take any information with cuation especially the thught that you will live long r have no complications after. You see less than 2 years later I somehow got a recurrence of this same matastastis cancer that I was cured from. (*note the word cured) I love myt oncology team but the oncologist, radaligody doctor and Chemo docs will alwasy be hopeful and will misimform you to think you got this with a low chance of any complications late down the road. This is a provcen tequinquie that actually help cnacer patients live longer and better to fight the cancer they got. No one wants to here doom and gloom as this technique has proven to fail. Thier jobs are to keep you alive as long as possible. So yes yu could be getting what I call sugar coating. Ask specific questions like I did. I asked has anyone with the same diagonisis as me that you have treated has lived passed 10 years. NO answer because you wont find anyone. Slowley as I nagagited throught the staff some were more open to what I could expect based on pass patients.
2. you need to specify the ,move is it isolated frm the original tuma?

wbcgaruss

Soldier hello, hope you are doing well today. I agree with your reasoning here. The bare facts are we are dealing with a disease that will take your life if no intervention is done. Amazingly they are able to eradicate many cancers these days although the treatments at times are quite harsh and travail to get through. I think what needs to be considered is that if you have cancer and especially of the H&N area many times it can be cured and cancer eradicated but there may be difficulties of treatment after effects. Also, many concepts of cured or free of cancer are used. Some say 2 years now of being free of cancer, but the old theory was if you are 5 years out of treatment you are considered free of cancer. I like to think along the line of I am free of cancer, at least for now. I am also free of many other happenstances that befall the human body. I was almost 5 years out from my first cancer and feeling pretty good and confident because that 5-year mark was so close and it seemed to be the standard that if you make it to that point you're good. Alas just shy of 5 years I got my second cancer and about 1-1 1/2 years after that the third cancer. So folks keep in mind if you are cancer free right now you are Blessed and you are cured of that particular cancer event. But I always remember now that my cancers and diagnosis were not there and the next day I had soreness or something unusual going on and got it checked and then knew I had a problem. So we are all one diagnosis away from cancer, a heart problem, or any number of health circumstances we may encounter. So for now we enjoy our status of "free of cancer" and "cured from this event" and live life to the fullest we have. And I Hope and Pray that this cancer event is the last one I will ever see. And when I wake up every day I am on my knees thanking God for this new day that he has Blessed me with and the fact that I woke up at home and not in a hospital room. Soldier, I wish you well and a smooth road ahead.

Take care, God Bless-Russ

DCXoP

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1699085#Comment_1699085

Wow, you start off your post saying you should surround yourself with positive uplifting people, then go on to make false statements that NO ONE lives past 10 years of a cancer diagnosis. Particularly for SCC Head and neck.

There are plenty of stats out there that show that over 60% survive over 10 years from that cancer diagnosis. I'm not sure why you would come on here and be so negative in a place where people are looking for support.

UmpquaGirl

Hi Everyone!

I had my first visit to the radiologist today for a consultation and a follow up with the surgeon last Thursday. He (the surgeon) did send out tissue samples during surgery and stopped when he was told he had clear margins. It was after when they could really thinly dissect the tissue that they found some cancer cells remaining.

My choice, according to both the surgeon and the radiologist, was to have another surgery to remove the remaining cancer cells, or have both chemo and radiation (which would last approximately a week and a half longer). So chemo plus 26 1/2 to 27 weeks of radiation vs. 25 weeks of radiation alone.

I have opted for the 2nd surgery instead, and that is now scheduled for the 24th. It was a heavy decision because I had such intense pain with the first surgery, but in my heart it felt like the best decision.

I just wanted to give an update; you have all been wonderful and I really have taken to heart your experience and suggestions. It has really helped me with questions to ask, things to be prepared for, and not feeling so alone.

Thank you.

Shari

Remington25

Shari ~ I think you made the right decision in my uneducated mind. The long term affects of radiation are tough on H&N patients and I have to believe the next surgery will be easier on you. Please know we are all pulling for you! Being dignosed with cancer really stinks, but this group and many other groups make it better to know you aren't alone!

wbcgaruss

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1699124#Comment_1699124

Shari thank you very much for keeping us updated.

I wish you the very best moving forward.

Take care, God Bless-Russ