Surgery is my only option because the tumor is so large
that treatment with radiation and chemo would only have a 10%
chance of success
It is a major surgery that lasts 6 hours and is a 5-7 day stay in the hospital
with 8 weeks of at home recovery
Then this is followed by 6 weeks of radiation

Even with this there is no guarantee of success

Hi Terry
Think positive!!I had surgery too that was a lil over 6hrs on the tongue and neck stayed in the hospital for 4days I am doing radiation now 5 days into it and 25 to go. I have gotten good advice from people here they have been great.I to am new to this site. Rememeber you have to keep the faith and stay positive for this evil will not win!!!we are all fighters and survivors You are in my prayers.
take care
mbt
REMEMBER TO KEEP THE FAITH -FOR IT WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH IT ALL

Terry there is no such thing as guarentees in this game ,so don't expect any.Robin was given a 98% chance of a ten year survival,and he didn't even make it three months after treatment.Others here have been stage 4 and breezed through.It is a totally unknown entity,and the only way to find out,is to give it a go.5-6 hours surgery is very short compared to most who undergo anything up to 14 hour operations,and radiation is never undertaken till at least six- eight weeks post op.
You are being offered all three of the possible options for your diagnosis,and if they didn't think they could get a good result,they just wouldn't do it.It would be palliative chemo or radiation and pain mangement.

What i am trying to say is DON'T GIVE UP ON YOURSELF.The doctors obviously haven't,but they can't do it on their own.You need to be strong and willing to fight this with everything you can.


all the very best

love liz

Of course your right Liz
Thanks for the words of encouragement
I do have days were i'm positive
and others when i'm really down

Hi Terry
being down is fine and to be expected,so is being scared,just remember that pre op you need to be on top of your game and raring to go.
Any help you need or want is here, these are the best people in the world to help you
through what lies ahead so don't hold back, just
let rip if you feel the need

love liz

Hi there
I had a fourteen hour op and a month in hospital - and they gave me no guarantees - it was way past the chances of radiation or chemo having any effect so it was surgery or nothing for me. I was scared, I was angry, sad, you name it. They couldn't give me any promises, and it looked like I was never going to be able to speak again. They couldn't reconstruct my jaw because the tumour was too big. Okay it wasn't much fun - but here I am 5 years on, back at work - teaching! - A few scares and a bit more cancer later I'm still alive and able to laugh and see my daughter get married next weekend - and without that operation - I wouldn't be. Tell yourself it's going to be alright. I got through just by keeping thinking of the whole thing as a big adventure - my big adventure. It's kind of silly I suppose but it helped get me through.
Hope this helps. All the very best
Tony

Everyone is different, everyone's cancer is different, as is their treatment and their recovery. I joined this forum on the day my husband was diagnosed with a stage IV cancer. Sorry to all the 'old' members for repeating myself. It was considered that surgery would be too radical and that he would have no quality of life as there would not be enough healthy tissue left to do any reconstruction. He was given 50/50 chance of survival. Twelve months down the line the cancer is gone. 3 x 5 days chemo, followed by 20 sessions of r/t. Although he won't be entering the next Olympics and has lost 6 and a half stone (about 90 lbs) he is reasonably ok.

I asked the consultant at the last check up, why do people with lesser cancers' than Bill have debilitating surgery when he has come through it without. He said "good question" to which I cannot get an answer. Why surgery?

I am of the opinion, that Bill's weight (overweight) stood him in good stead. Also, Bill is the kind of man who will take on a project and give 200% he was totally focused and totally positive that he would get through - which he has.

Hi Anthony,
My name is Ananth and I think we are going to get along just great. I like your attitude and the positivness towards things.There are no guarantees in life be it cancer or anything else. I for one live like today is the last day on this earth and live life with all it has to offer. Happiness is a state of the mind and as long as you have control over the same and accept things as they are, without crying on and on about the "Why me?" syndrome - life is great.
You have had a rough ride and have had the adventure of your life as you say and I agree with you all the way. The entire thing has taken me on one I never ever thought I would go on - but then I never asked anyone to join me on the adventure and those who did join me were the ones who would pull me out of the dirt whenever the S**t got too deep. The adventure however, was one and is one that can only be gone through by the person is the one who has the sense to look at things in a very positive and different way.
So, let me say "Hi Anthony" once again and am really happy to have "met" you.

Warm regards and Hugs (these are very special hugs and have not given you any xxxx as those are only for the ladies!!!),
Ananth

Hi Ananth
Great to meet you too, you're absolutely right. You just have to keep smiling - and there were times when tht was physially impossible - but you smile inside instead. Someone wvisited me in hospitl and was asking about my chances of survival - cheerful soul - I poined out that they might well get run over leving the hospital or crash their car on the way home - and to stop worrying about me.

All the best, and hope to speak again. Isn;t this a wonderfu site? I never knew it existed!

Tony

Hi Terry,
I had x2 operations nine hours each within four weeks, eight weeks in hospital that time. A second nine hour one, seven weeks that time and a six hour one, four weeks for that one. They were all between October 06 and August 07.
No one can say it's going to be a breeze or everything will be OK because no one knows. The way I got through it was to take each day as a new one, not count the days ahead but to count the ones past as a sucess at beating this bloody disease.
If anyone had try to tell me at the worst of it that I'd be where I am now and am doing what I am, I would have thought they were of their heads!!
It can be a long slow and rocky process for some but look at us who are all here to tell the tale!
Take care and good luck
SusieR

Hi Terry,

Everyone has said the same thing and I am going to repeat it. You have to stay strong and just know that you are going to be okay. That is easier said then done and you won't always be successful. My first surgery was easy, 6 hrs and 5 days in the hospital, then radiation for 8 weeks. The next surgery was 16 hours and 7 days in the hospital. This last one was 13 hrs and 10 days in the hospital. then radiation again for 5 weeks and chemo once a week. But the first one was 20 years ago and the last one last July; I am still here and I try to look at each day as a gift to me, one more day to spend with my boys and my husband.

Who knows people can drop dead of heart attack and seem perfectly healthy. The difference between them and us, we have all learned to value life and live it fully. Sometimes I think others are the ones that are cheated, they don't fully understand the gift that they have of living and don't take advantage of it like we do.

Leann

Wow Leann
What a story of courage
If i can be half as strong as you i will be ok

Each morning i sit on the curb in front of my house and watch the sunrise

My neighbors think i'm nuts but they just don't know what they are missing

Well i'm 2 weeks out of surgery and all went well
the road to recovery has been a little rocky but
still a work in progress
just now learning to eat and swallow again
still have not tried talking as my throat is very sore
I have a check up today with my surgeon and an
appointment with speech thearpy
thanks to all for your words of support

Hi Terry, glad the surgery went well. Recovery will always be a bit rocky but at least you're on the right track. Good luck with the appointments. Hagg.

Hi Terry

Great to hear you are over the operation and have started on the road to recovery. Hope your check up and speech therapy went well. Do keep us informed of your progress.

Regards

Gwyn