Wanna chat?

Eric1969

Hello - I recently had surgery removing oral cancer from my upper jaw. I still have a hard time understanding “why” as I’ve never smoked or used tobacco. I had a hard time for a while coming to understand this. I just finished radiation a few weeks ago. 30 sessions on my mouth and neck. The other side the surgeon removed my lymph nodes. I am on my second obturator so far - just wondering if anyone is on here willing/wanting to chat about life afterwards - thanks

wbcgaruss

Hello, Eric1969, and welcome to the CSN H&N discussion forum.

Well, Eric, sometimes there is no specific reason someone gets H&N cancer or any other cancer for that matter.

In years past there were many on here who never smoked or drank but still got H&N cancer no one knows the reason. I think cancer can just start with a bad cell division in the body, here is a video that explains it…

Cancer, How Cancer Starts, How Cancer Spreads, Where and Why, Animation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhfrHjBX5eA

In recent years very few people smoke anymore but there is a large uptick in H&N cancer due to the HPV virus. There is a plus and a minus diagnosis in H&N cancer. Did any of your doctors mention your case being HPV Plus or minus?

Here is a Johns Hopkins site explaining it…

HPV and Head & Neck Cancer FAQs

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/kimmel-cancer-center/cancers-we-treat/head-neck/hpv/faqs

You went through some heavy-duty treatment like the rest of us but the main thing is you made it through. I have not had to deal with an obturator but there were several people in our local cancer support group at the campus and folks on this forum that had them. I am aware it is something else to maintain and I believe you need a good-fitting obturator that is comfortable and does what it should.

Here is a search of this discussion board of past and present discussions of obturators, you can possibly find some good information there by looking through the discussion threads.

Please note there are 10 threads on the page and at the bottom you can click on more and there are many more.

https://csn.cancer.org/search?domain=all_content&query=obturator&scope=site&source=community

I would also recommend you check out the Superthread at the top of the page there is loads of information in there with links and you will find it helpful.

I hope this helped in some way and we can chat more if you want and feel free to make yourself at home here.

Our Motto Here Is…NEGU (Never Ever Give Up)

Wishing You The Best

Take Care, God Bless

Russ

Eric1969

Thank you Russ! God Bless you as well

garrettnm

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/328148/wanna-chat

Hello Eric. Glad you got through the tough surgery and treatments. I hope you're doing well. In 2022 I was diagnosed with H&N cancer in my right tonsil and some lymph nodes and it turned out to be HPV that caused it. I was fortunate to have several options for treatment, including a trial that cut radiation and chemo treatments in half. It was still rough though. The cisplatin put me in the hospital with very low sodium for 10 days. Now, so far so good, but I do have to have another node neat my collar bone biopsied next week. Hopefully if there's something there they can just remove it and it's not anywhere else. This has been the hardest part for me, all the following up and worrying about things that might be suspicious. I hope you don't have too much of that. Wishing you all the best and good health!

Eric1969

hello and thanks for emailing me. I hope everything works out for you next week. That’s something that’s always dwelling on my mind…my next scans and the whole “what if”… thank you for the kind words too. We just never know what we can accomplish until we go through it. One thing I’m kind of dealing with now is my appearance has changed due to my weight loss, loss of facial hair and mouth obturator. Friends don’t recognize me at first which is hard. I’ve had a friend walk by me not even realizing it was me