Soooo....I Have Cancer

tlou5

Praying for you as well. My Dad had throat cancer and is doing well seven years later. KNOW that you can beat this thing! Hang in there! Will definitely be praying for you.

krazyforyou

I have been an RN for 15 years with most of that being surcical recovery. I have seen people of all ages, all ethnic groups, all economic groups be diagnosed with some form of Cancer. I lost my mother to ovarian cancer 5 years ago.
So I am going to tell you to expect the worst. Yes you will have a feeding tube for a while, or they could decide to feed your through your veins. Yes you will be on a ventalator for a while until swelling subsides, or you may get a trachostomy. Yes you will feel like you want to die but get over it. Your attitude towards this fight is fundamental in your recovery. Ask questions of your surgeon, ask him anything you need to know. It is his JOB to inform you of whats going to happen. And trust me he wont care if you ask him, he wont be pissed. Talk to your wife now, tell her what you want done in the event something happens. She will be scared to death for you and trust me its a hard conversation to have but very important dont leave her not knowing. Check on the basic things like life insurance and copies of wills, and if you dont have these get them now.
Next is get your relationship with God right. He never leaves you, he will stay by your side until the end.
So I will be praying for you, and expecting you to do your part.
May God bless and keep you safe

lintino

I will keep you, your family and your medical team in my prayers.

mattschwartz01

Cancer isn't a death sentence. It won't be an easy fight but most of it is mental. It is absolutely imperative that you stay positive and I know this is easier said than done. Everyone I know has beaten cancer because they refused to let negative thoughts invade their minds. Even in their darkest moments, they could see life with a 3/4 full glass! You CAN fight the winning fight.

GrandMaKandy

You have shown great strength by just sharing your story, that same strength will carry you through. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your loved one's .

eating4me

I'm so sorry that you have this trial to face. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us...I'm sure it wasn't easy. News like this puts a totally different perspective on life, doesn't it? Sending healing thoughts and prayers your way. May you and your family have the strength you need to go through the days ahead. Love will carry you through it all. Please keep us all posted on your surgery, recovery, and treatment, if you feel so inspired. We'll be waiting right here for you.

AuntieMC

I have been an RN for 15 years with most of that being surcical recovery. I have seen people of all ages, all ethnic groups, all economic groups be diagnosed with some form of Cancer. I lost my mother to ovarian cancer 5 years ago.
So I am going to tell you to expect the worst. Yes you will have a feeding tube for a while, or they could decide to feed your through your veins. Yes you will be on a ventalator for a while until swelling subsides, or you may get a trachostomy. Yes you will feel like you want to die but get over it. Your attitude towards this fight is fundamental in your recovery. Ask questions of your surgeon, ask him anything you need to know. It is his JOB to inform you of whats going to happen. And trust me he wont care if you ask him, he wont be pissed. Talk to your wife now, tell her what you want done in the event something happens. She will be scared to death for you and trust me its a hard conversation to have but very important dont leave her not knowing. Check on the badic things like life insurance and copies wills, and if you dont have these get them now.
Next is get your relationship with God right. He never leaves you, he will stay by your side until the end.
So I will be praying for you, and expecting you to do your part.
May God bless and keep you safe

I am glad an RN in surgical recovery took the time to add this information, and she makes some excellent points, but I want to add my two-cents worth -- PREPARE for the worst, but EXPECT the best! Surgical recovery might not be any fun, but it is temporary. Expect the best possible long-term outcome, though. Positive Thinking all the way!

Iron_Lotus

Thank you for sharing something so personal. Sending you lots of positivity and prayers.

angel79202

I am so sorry

lithezebra

You've already done a very good thing by going to the doctor every time something wasn't right, which gives you the very best chance of beating this thing.

LesaDave

hugs and prayers

IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym

wow, what a brave, touching story. I particularly love your attitude!

rodneyrsmith75

My prayers to you and your family! Your attitude determines the outcome... I must say, your strength is encouraging! Be well!

SmallestGoal

This sounds exactly like my father's story a few years ago. He was older than you, but still younger than the model patient and without the normal risk factors of smoking and drinking.

To avoid a long story you don't care about, surgery + radiation -> complete remission. A couple of scares with spots on his lungs, but it turned out to be an infection brought on by the immune suppression from the radiation.

Tube feedings sucked. The trach sucked. But both were gone within two weeks after surgery. The hardest part about radiation was the cage-like facemask they use to bolt you down to the bed before the machine goes at it -- ask for a Xanax or something if you have claustrophobia issues.

My dad's tongue still has issues with things that are too acidic or spicy sometimes. If you're a curry or hot sauce lover, get that in now, because your healing tongue will be too sensitive for a while. Of course, depends on where and how big on your tongue the excised part will be. My dad didn't have any kind of reconstruction or graft, so that likely will make a difference.

Most important of all, encourage your family (especially those in the teenage/young adult age group) to get the HPV shot, men included. The doctors have said that all the grief caused by this astronomical increase in oral cancer would have been preventable if everyone got the HPV shot. My teenage brother made an event of it and got all the boys at his high school to get the jab, to reduce the "it's a girl shot" stigma.

jeslaughter

Different cancer, but worst day of my life was not when I was diagnosed with cancer, but when I had to bring in the note to work that said that I was "suffering from a life threatening illness". It is over five years later, I am the healthest I've ever been, seriously. I'm not going to lie, you may walk through the "gates of hell", but if your dr. says you'll be okay, you'll be okay. I'm betting you'll put one foot in front of the other and about two years from now you'll shake with fear and pride with what you've been through. Be strong, you are strong, and you'll be even stronger soon. I'll add hugs to the others.

Never a truer word posted...I also am a survivor and for some reason I look after myself better now than I ever have...You will be fine...and hugs to you and yours you will all make it through.

Healthynut31

I am so happy that instead of internalizing this, you decided to share as a form of therapy. Everyone here probably either knows someone who is going through what you are, or have lost someone so its okay to vent a little. In the end, all we can do is be a motivation to each other. I agree with an earlier comment that if the Dr. stated that you will be okay, then that is great hope. That is not always said,... trust me. Anyways, I hope that you remain strong and continue to fight no matter what. Please, Please keep us updated as you have stirred great concern among the MFP family. Thanks so much for your honesty and candidness. Be blessed. :flowerforyou:

benol1

Dear links_slayer

Thank you for sharing the details of your painful discovery and experience.
Surely the path ahead to recovery may seem daunting. If you need someone to lend an ear - feel free to add me as a friend.
I wish you all the best and a full recovery.
kind regards,

Ben

bregalad5

I'll add some big hugs and happy thoughts to you as well!

mcanavan05

I look forward to seeing you succeed - stay strong, stay positive! You will win each day and become stronger for it!

TNTPete

I think you shared because what better place to just get it out there and say those words that no one wants to say. Also, we aren't going to ask you a bunch of ridiculous questions or stare blankly. (Well maybe.. but who will truly know -- humor attempt).

Serious part -- stay positive and get things right in your life. Cancer is scary for everyone but I think viewing it as an illness that needs treatment is the right step in staying in control of your health and care needs.

Thank you for sharing. Stay Brave!

sweetcurlz67

Sorry about your diagnosis!!!

I learned of my cancer in 2005 and am currently in remission. I will have another test the middle of this month to see if I'm still in remission.

Stay strong and follow your doctor's advice. Cancer can not ruin your spirit or your drive. I like the list of what one of the readers posted of what Cancer can not do. It's true too. I had the attitude of let's kick it's *kitten* with whatever methods we know how and what will be will be, it's in God's will.

Sometimes you just need to vent, so don't worry about putting it out there to a bunch of strangers. Feel free to add me if you'd like. We are all here for support!

:flowerforyou:

DeborahBatewell

Sorry to hear that. Wishing you a fast and speedy recovery. hugs.:flowerforyou:

jofjltncb6

Damn, dude. That hit hard.

Like others have said, I'm encouraged by what the doctor told you. And I like your attitude. Now beat this thing.

HollisGrant

Hugs, good thoughts, and prayers for you. Take it one day at a time and stay positive. Exercise, as in walking outside in the sunlight, is good for healing from cancer.... it helps the immune system. Remember that we're all in your corner.

angelatjones16

I will be praying for you! Fight....

Fragilebird24

You are so inspiring! You WILL conquer this with the attitude you have. Along with the many other MFPers who have read this, I'll be praying for you. I can't wait until the doctor can say "Guess what, you no longer have cancer."

CoderGal

tl;dr...I know.

I have a history of some ugly white spots appearing on my tongue. They were first noticed by my dentist at a 6 month check-up in 2008 and then again by me in 2010. Biopsies were performed and and each time it was determined that it was just dysplasia. While it didn't seem like a big deal, my ENT removed the tissue from my tongue. It was not a pleasant experience to say the least.

Fast forward to May of this year and thing started to feel a little weird while we were in California on vacation. I decided to just let it go, see if it would go away, whatever. After about a week and a half, things weren't feeling better so I took a look in the mirror. I knew immediately that something was wrong. It looked completely different than the last 2 versions and was in a slightly different location. I was scared.

I scheduled an appointment with my ENT for Friday June 14. He did a very thorough exam of my tongue. I could tell he did not like what he was seeing and feeling. He sat down on his chair, expressed an enormous level of concern with what he saw, and then told me those words that I will never EVER forget:

“You have cancer.”

My mind started spinning out of control and I felt like one of the characters from Mortal Kombat was using my stomach as a speedbag. I think he just said I have cancer. That cannot be true…can it? This isn't supposed to happen to a 30 year old guy that doesn't smoke, doesn't chew, drinks in moderation, and is arguably in the best shape of his life, right? A thousand questions started flooding my mind. How did this happen? You know this just by LOOKING at it? What are the next steps? I know you are a smart doctor but there is a chance you could be wrong…right? Do I need chemo? Radiation? What do I tell my family? Am I going to die.....?

Two biopsies, CT scan, chest x-ray, blood work, an MRI, 2nd and 3rd opinions in hand, and 6 days later his original diagnosis was confirmed.

I have cancer.

Woah. I called my family and close friends and told them the news. I repeated the story about a dozen times over the following week or so but the words didn't really seem to sink in. That quickly changed during my 2nd appointment with my head and neck surgeon. We reviewed the MRI scan and the tumor was staring me right it the eyes. Talk about a reality check. This *kitten* just. Go. Real. My surgeon put his hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eyes, and said, "You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay."

The next steps are surgery to remove the tumor and the lymph nodes in my neck, skin graft/reconstruction on my tongue, a 7-14 day recovery in the hospital, an additional 2-3 week recovery at home. After review of the pathology results of the lymph nodes and tumor I'll know whether or not I need radiation. At this time it seems as though it will be necessary (according to my surgeon, but it's technically TBD) which means 6-6 1/2 weeks of treatment followed by ~4 weeks of recovery afterwards.

Right now it's the fear of the unknown that scares me the most. I have no idea what to expect coming out of surgery. I'll likely need a feeding tube from my noes to my stomach and it's possible that I'll need a temporary tube in my trachea depending on how swollen my mouth and throat are when he is finished working. These things scare me but I know that I am in the hands of incredibly talented and compassionate doctors and nurses.

I have no idea why I'm sharing this with a bunch of strangers in the interwebz. I'm not looking for pity and I'm not looking for sympathy. Maybe I'm just using this as a form of therapy.

If you've made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read my story.

One thing is certain: I'm ready to put up the fight of my life and come out on the other side as a stronger person.

Thank you so much for sharing. Because that's a lot to try to keep in one single mind. My fingers are crossed for you. I've known several people about our age who have had cancer and they had some rough roads but if it makes you feel better, they're all doing fine now I wish you all the best!

LisaGirlfriend

I read your whole post and wish you the best of luck fighting this. I'm glad you're in the best shape of your life, because you will kick it hard. Big hugs to you and your family.

CrankMeUp

*HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG.**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG**HUG*

naturallyme36

give it to GOD and leave it there. (((((((((((HUGS))))))))