Well Differentiated Squamous Cell Carcinoma Stage 1 Tongue Cancer

Sabrina,

I am sorry to see you are here seeking answers to all your questions, but you found a great site to get those answers with many knowledgeable people here that have traveled the path you are taking. 

I was 57 when I found a tiny lump under my jaw line, long story made short, I had Base of Tongue cancer and had part of my tongue removed. I had a Radical Neck disection with drain tubes, they are in for about 10 days more or less depending on how fast the blood stops draining into the bottles and the color is almost clear. 

Because of the surgery on my tongue, I had a Trach as well as a PEG Tube so all my nutrition was thru the PEG Tube until the Trach was removed which was a bit over 6 weeks. I then was allowed to start eating soft foods. I had the PEG Tube during Radiation as it can be harsh on us and swallowing can be difficult in the later weeks of treatment. 

You wrote- What is Life Expectancy, Will I be 100% cured. Can I go on to live a long normal life. These are questions no one here can truly answer, not even the Doctors. I started with a positive attitude and did what I needed to do to complete my treatments. I had Radiation only as the Surgeon and Radiation Oncologist wanted to keep Chemo as a backup plan in the event of reoccurance which did not happen. 

I would like to make a suggestion if I may, please try not using Dr. Google since a lot of the information out there is out of date. The only statistic that is important to you is the number 1 ( YOU ) . Will your life be just like it was before, it might be, will it be different? more than likely. We have a saying here, we have a " New Normal". Radiation can have an affect on us for about a year according to my Radiation Oncologist, he was close as I found it took me a bit longer. This is pertaining to Fatique issues. Some people here have returned to running within months after treatments. One size does not fit all with this so it effects each of us differently. Recovery times vary. 

You will get thru this, take one step at a time and it appears you already have a support system in place with your sister and mom to help you out which is great. 

As I mentioned earlier, I was 57 when I found my lump, I am now 72, and a 15 year survivor, there are 20 year survivors here and longer. Keep asking your questions and others will be along to answer them for you. 

My Best to You and All Your Family

Sabrina, thank you for posting this.  As you can see you are more apt to get responses this way.  Also, if you have a specific question or concern it may be advisable to start a new topic with that specific question in mind.  Not only do you get better response but it will come in handy for others doing searches.

I had a fairy easy time with treaments and recovery, but it has had many rough spots.  I am 11 months post treatments and feel very good, even with some lingering side effects. But it has been a journey of constant adjustments, especially while going through treatments.  You will likely find it to be the same.  Don't spend time worrying about the future, just focus on doing whatever you can to make your treatments and recovery as easy as possible.

Good luck and keep us posted!