New at this. Just diagnosed w/base of tongue squamouse cell.

soccerfreaks said:

Welcome
Welcome to the club, John. It's a crummy club to join, but you will find, if you have not already, that the people in it make it the best club in the world, even if you'd rather not be in it.

CSN does its best, I think, to help folks navigate around the site. If you have not done so, check out the pages of some of the members who post in this board, in particular. Sometimes they reveal things in their pages (and in the blogs that are also found on their personal pages in here) things that can be of real value to you.

Your wife might also find some comfort and excellent suggestions in the Caregiver and Emotional Support areas of the Discussion area.

Best wishes, John, to you and your family. It is readily apparent that you have the ingredients inside (hope and humor) and beside you (a loving, caring wife) to get through this with flying colors.

Take care,

Joe

Thanks Joe
Thanks an awful lot. I went to your page after I posted and hope that I can keep a quarter of the humor that you have. Only got through just a small part as was reading it to Ruthie. Had us both laughing. I know that's what it's going to take and just want to find out the whole program and get started. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer. If I get in a tough spot I might holler at you for help. Once again, thanks a million.
Take Care,
John

pennynl4 said:

Hi John
I am so glad you are using this website. It helps me. Maybe my husband will use it later....it's hard for him. I relay a lot of the info I get from here.

I know how your wife is feeling.....I, too, was scared to death and consumed with this day and night.

Everyone here is so helpful and they can usually answer any question you may have.

My husband starts chemo tomorrow. He was going to have Cysplat, but they have decided at a Pow-wow to give him Erbitux instead. He should have less side effects and is used with this type of cancer.

My husband has been so scared, but this appointment today with the chemo doctor has eased his mind. We really like this doctor. He will start radiation maybe this week....haven't heard yet.

How was your cancer first spotted? My husband had a swollen lymph node and had it removed along with a lot of other lymph nodes and a saliva gland on May 20th. Only one lymph node was cancerous, thank goodness.

All I can say John, is to keep a positive attitude and keep telling yourself you can get through this. I have been giving my husband pep talks and remind him how stubborn he can be. We both are scared and it seems like a nightmare, but with everyone's help and support WE CAN DO THIS.

Make sure you and Ruth write down all your questions you have for your doctors. And take notes at your doctor appointment.

Let us know how it goes with your appointments.

We wish you and Ruth the best!
Penny

Hi Penny
Just got back from
Hi Penny
Just got back from first round of drs. today. Chemo dr. We had all the questions that we could think of and went out last night and bought a tape recorder and taped the whole thing.I really liked this dr. and feel that I've got a good team. Tomorrow I go back to the ear/nose/throat dr. Fri. I go to the radiation oncologist and the dr. today said that he would be doing testing and mapping and probably I would be starting radiation on the 6th.If I understood right I'll be on Erbitux too. He mentioned the feeding tube and said that most everyone doesn't want it, but, thanks to this site and group, I told him that I was all for it. He said it was a lot better to do it first rather than after the rad. starts.

I had a sinus infection when I went to my primary the end of Jan. and a swollen gland,or so we thought,and he gave me an antibiotic. The swelling went way down but I still had a small lump. I had a yearly check up with my ear/nose/throat dr. 1rst of May and she found a lump at base of the tongue. The lump in the neck was the lymph node. PET scan showed that was the only 2 places that it was, and they all said that was good news.

Thank you Penny for writing as it really helps to talk to everyone. I am very slow typing ( 2 fingers ) so it takes a while. Tell you husband that we can do this. I find that when faced with something bad like this after the initial shock I go into a fight mode and guess that's where I am now. Either that or mad as h--l!!! And if we get in bad shape just go to Soccer Freaks profile. He should write a book!!!

We wish you the best and we can do this!!
John & Ruth