Hi Chuck

Will certainly have both you and your wife in my thoughts on Tuesday.

Very best wishes for your op. Look forward to hearing from you when you are up and about again.

Gwyn

Hi Chuck, As you know this is the same hospital that has taken care of me recently. They have a great facility and the caregivers there are superb. You are in good hands.

Best wishes to you....of course my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Be thinking about which game you want to see the Tampa Bay Bucs kick the tar out of somebody.... looking forward to the day.

Bob (Pembo)

SURGERY UPDATE

I had my surgery on Tuesday the 9th and was discharged on Thursday. What a wonderful bunch of caretakers they have at Moffitt in Tampa. I learned from this board to stay ahead of my pain and as a result was able to heal that much quicker. I shaved yesterday for the first time in a week and except for the incision area and the neck flap did a decent job. Dr. MacCaffery is confident that she got all of the tumor out of my tongue and she said that the lymph nodes looked good. We won't get pathology back until next week. We are confident that we have done the right thing and that the healing will progress rapidly. I'll keep you posted as I receive additional information.

Thanks to everyone here
Chuck

Hi! Chuck,
Congratulations on your success, and from now on it can only get better, I am in the first third of my RT/Chemo treatment and can't wait to be able to get back to work and I can only imagine how you must be feeling.

Trev

Chuck, I'm so glad to hear your surgery went well. I know it is a scary thing. My husband was diagnosed, on Aug 13/2008 and he is healing very well. Treatment begins on the 23rd...they removed a mass just over a pound from his neck, removed the toncils and a piece from the base of his tongue. When the pathology reports came back they were sure that they got it all however it was in 2 lymph nodes, he is already booked for his CT scan once the 6mths are up...the treatment will be rough but we will get through...and I know you will too....besides we just found out last night were going to be Grandparents....and my Husband, Gerry, is already planning fishing trips...don't forget to come back to the site...it helps to talk to someone who is experiencing the same thing....keep your chin up. God Bless

Hi Group - - Just an update - -
Met with my Dr. at Moffitt today and was pleased to hear that she got clean edges on the section of the tongue removed and the lymph nodes removed during the resection were CLEAN (PRAISE THE LORD) - - They will discuss my case during the tumor boards on Tuesday of next week but she told me to be ready for 6 weeks of Radiation. That just about crushed my wife - - she was praying that we were done. In addition, because of my heart condition and now the Cancer we are applying for Total Disability. We have been wiped out by this and not being able to work has eroded what was left of our savings. As I said to Barb today - this too shall pass - - we will pay what we can when we can and SOD OFF all the rest until we can get to them. Thanks for the continued support and encouragement. It means more to both of us than you will ever know.

Chuck

Chuck! First Off: Great Additude!!!! I mean that sincerely! Apply for total disability, and pay what you can and in your words "SOD OFF" to all the rest. I can't agree with you more. I've been lucky in that regards due to my insurance so there's been little extra expense, but I've been in your position a long time ago and the creditors in this type of situation can "SOD OFF"!!

I'm sorry to hear that you have to go through the radiation. I also went through 6 weeks of radiation. It wasn't fun, but except for the dreaded mask (I'm claustraphic & hate confinement), it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Everyone is different though as to how the handle it, so just try to keep a positive additude and it'll carry you a long way.

Best of luck to you, Cricket

Hi! Chuck,
I too went thriugh 7 weeks of R/T & chemo and YES! it was a Bitch and Bastard but you know WHAT I got over it and apart from no taste and no saliva everything else is "COOL" I mean I got back to work and started walking each day (up 12 klms a day) and feeling really good so you can make it, as for Money well thats different over here or down here we don't have to pay for our medical so thats a big help. Without a job was a bummer because the Bills still come in BUT somehow we got there so good luck and keep on line as we are always here to talk you through things, and good on Barb for looking after you my Deb has been by my side through the whole ordeal and without her I would not have made it, she a love as I am sure your Barb is too.
"Stay Strong"
Trev

Hi guys...its be a week or so since I've logged in...it has not been a good week for me...more bad news...I keeping getting picked up then find myself back at square one...we met with the oncologist on Tuesday and he has staged Gerry at stage III, squamosh cell undifferentiated. They are not sure if it is on both sides or just the one. An MRI has been ordered for Wednesday morning then we meet with the oncologist again on Monday Oct 6......good news is they are going to treat him as an aggressive cancer patient but the bad news is we may have to travel to another city which is 4hrs away....they will treat him here at home if the MRI is clear...so for now another bump in the road...ttul

Hi! Linash,
Sorry to hear your not so good news BUT treatment for this type of cancer can be hard But you get good results in the long run.You say that you have to travel 4 hours to the next town for treatment, you should check to see if they have a place where you can stay through the week for a nominal fee (I am not sure of this but if we lived further from where we are now we could stay in a special lodge for cancer sufferers and thier partner). Is there a Cancer Foundation or some such in the state you live in? if so it would be worth contacting them and checking.
I have been through possilbly the same or similar treatment that Gerry may go through and even though it was a pain in the a**e (or neck) but I am alive and can spend time with my Grandson Marley OH! of course and my lovely Deb LOL.
"Stay Strong"
TREV
PS Good luck with everything.

Hi Linash,

Sorry to hear your news, but know that most of the time everything works out - it's just a hard time getting there.

As Trev said, there may be options for finding an inexpensive (or even free) place to stay if you have to travel for treatment. The Canadian Cancer Society should be able to direct you or you can check with the social worker in the hospital you're assigned to for info.

My cancer center had something like a group home for patients and families that was free, but could only accommodate a certain number of people (included in the headcount were caretakers and minor children of the patients/caretakers). This was for people who were indigent, without insurance, or who had no resources. For those who could afford something, ACS had heavily discounted room rates at hotels close by the cancer center.

I hope the MRI is clear and he can stay at home, but it's a good idea to be prepared just in case.

Be sure to let us know what happens on the 6th.

Take care,

Mimi

Wingman51-- Glad to hear you got some good news...as for the bills, we rob peter to pay paul....and will continue until it is over. Good luck with the tumor board on Tuesday. Keep us posted.

Hi Guys, Well the last time I was on my husband was to have an appt at the cancer center on Monday Oct 6. His MRI was on Wednesday and the center called us on Thursday and scheduled us for Friday instead of Monday.. Well I Knew the report could not have been good. We got there and they told us that the cancer is in the left side of his neck and he is scheduled to have the other toncil removed. I discussed earlier that we may need to travel to Halifax for his treatment it seems that time is a big factor and they cannot take him for another 8-12 weeks. They also gave us the option of traveling to Toronto which would mean flying a great distant and be away from our family. The Dr. stated that if treatment is done at home he will lose his saliva glands and they have now stated him at stage 4 because they found it in the otherside. Not 4 weeks ago he ct scan showed it to be clear. However they say it is very aggressive. We have decided to prepare for treatment here at home and the other centers have red flagged him to try to get him in within the next 2 weeks. It's been a rough weekend but we are picking ourselves back up and are going to fight this disease. We are now taking this one day at a time. We are going to the center tomorrow morning hoping they have news for us and we will leave for Toronto as soon as possible. I'm sad, frustrated, and angry that we are not able to get in for his treatment at the center for at least 12 more weeks. Don't get me wrong our cencer center here at home is one of the best in Canada, however they don't have the raditation machine that will save his salava glands....if he has his treat here it will be 40 radiation and 7 chemo....he will be finished for the holidays...Friday was the first time I say my husband cry...

My husband was also Dx with stage IV cancer of the tongue, it had spread into his lymph nodes and tonsils. We were told by his consultant that if he underwent surgery, he would have to have the whole of his tongue removed and his voice box and there would not be enough healthy tissue left to be able to make a new tongue. He underwent chemo and r/t.

This time last year I didn’t think he would see Christmas but he did. On his first venture out in the new year, we went to watch a rugby match with the team his used to play for, I was frightened for him when a saw the ball from a kick into touch heading straight for him. He caught it, then drop kicked it back into play. His scans now show he is cancer free.

Don’t every give hope, be positive.

Angiebaby, Thanks for responding..this makes me feel much better. I"m so glad that your husband is cancer free. Yes it is going to be difficult but I will stay positive. What is so hard for me is that to look at him you would never know there is anything wrong. They start getting him ready for treatment tomorrow and if at the last minute we get a call f orthe center in Toronto we will fly there. I'm also going to join a support group tomorrow..We got together as a family last night and talked to our daughters. That was hard. I hope you don't mind but I just read your story to my husband and he smiled back at me...he is keeping his spirit up and helping me keep mine going...if there is one thing I can say he is going to beat this!!