Clean Margins and No Cancer in Lymph Nodes

mynameisjohn
mynameisjohn Member Posts: 1
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hi Everyone,

I was diagnosed with SCC in November.  I had a left neck dissection and a tongue resection to remove the tumor and now have clean margins.  The tumor board is advising I do radiation.  I have to wait weeks before I even find out what type of radiation they want to do.  It is very frustrating, I don't understand why I need radiation if I have clean margins.  Anyone have any insight into this?

The big challenge right now is that I was unable to start a job that I got before I was diagnosed.  I have no money and am couchsurfing with friends.  I desperately need housing if I am even going to be able to THINK about doing radiation.  Are there any resources out there?  I keep getting shut down by the local housing non-profits and cancer societies (they refer me to each other and then tell me they can't help).

 

John

Comments

  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #2
    John

    Social Security, I think, is where you go to apply for the "compassionate allowance" program, I think it's called. You'll need to get your Drs to vouch for them that you need the rads, but you should try this route to see if you qualify. Rads were the most expensive part of my C experience, by a long shot; and, if you can get an estimated cost from the rad Folks about it, and also present that to the SS people- that just might bolster your case for the need to have them help you with the $ angle of this. Hope this helps, and they pay for it- they can throw money overseas at this and that which doesn't make sense, so they danged-well can take care of you.

    kcass

  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #3
    Kent Cass said:

    John

    Social Security, I think, is where you go to apply for the "compassionate allowance" program, I think it's called. You'll need to get your Drs to vouch for them that you need the rads, but you should try this route to see if you qualify. Rads were the most expensive part of my C experience, by a long shot; and, if you can get an estimated cost from the rad Folks about it, and also present that to the SS people- that just might bolster your case for the need to have them help you with the $ angle of this. Hope this helps, and they pay for it- they can throw money overseas at this and that which doesn't make sense, so they danged-well can take care of you.

    kcass

    John

    Don't make the decision on radiation lightly. Get more than one opinion...it's not just the 6 weeks, it is the life long side effects that can be just as rough.

  • swopoe
    swopoe Member Posts: 492
    #4
    tough decision. My husband

    tough decision. My husband had clean margins in the tongue and no cancer in the lymph nodes. But he had rads. He had certain factors of the tumor that made rads recommended- the tumor was deep, poorly differentiated, and there was peri neural invasion. Plus my husband was young, just 41. So he had rads, and chemo. Finished treatment in January. If he had none of those factors, except the age, the docs said they would have just done the surgery. So you need to get specific details about your case and get more than 1 opinion. We got 3 opinions. Good luck to you, but no matter what clean margins and clean nodes is a great thing!

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