New And Worried...

So short version...

I took my wife to a dentist appointment 2 weeks ago for a broken wisdom toth that was bothering her and an irritation on her upper gingiva. The Dentist looked at it and recomended we see an oral surgeon. So the next day we see the OS and he takes a biopsy of the gum and sends it off to find out what the infection is... We return a week after to get the news that no one thought it could be.. My wife is a healthy 31 year old non-smoker light social drinker. No known history of cancer in her family and now she has a tumor that runs from canine to canine and back into the hard pallet...

We have 3 small children ages 2 1/2, 7, and 9. We have been told from the looks of it she will have to have the bone and all from the upper jaw and the hard pallet removed as well as having some sort of radiation therapy. We live 1200 miles form our closest family and survive off of my income as she has her hands full as a full time mom. We have good medical insurance but I can't find much info on time lines and how much time I will lose form work... The news has made me all but forget about work as I want to be with her every minute.

We had the Initial CT scans done on thursday and have an appointment on wednesday to get the results. I just wish we had a better idea of what we are looking at..

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and hopefully it makes since...

On 2/16/2008 SDSully wrote:

So short version...

I took my wife to a dentist appointment 2 weeks ago for a broken wisdom toth that was bothering her and an irritation on her upper gingiva. The Dentist looked at it and recomended we see an oral surgeon. So the next day we see the OS and he takes a biopsy of the gum and sends it off to find out what the infection is... We return a week after to get the news that no one thought it could be.. My wife is a healthy 31 year old non-smoker light social drinker. No known history of cancer in her family and now she has a tumor that runs from canine to canine and back into the hard pallet...

We have 3 small children ages 2 1/2, 7, and 9. We have been told from the looks of it she will have to have the bone and all from the upper jaw and the hard pallet removed as well as having some sort of radiation therapy. We live 1200 miles form our closest family and survive off of my income as she has her hands full as a full time mom. We have good medical insurance but I can't find much info on time lines and how much time I will lose form work... The news has made me all but forget about work as I want to be with her every minute.

We had the Initial CT scans done on thursday and have an appointment on wednesday to get the results. I just wish we had a better idea of what we are looking at..

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and hopefully it makes since...

I am so sorry to hear of your news.  I would recommend applying for a family leave so your job remains secure and you will be able to take off of work when you need to.  If possible see if any of your family can come and help when needed, even for short periods of time to give you a break.  This can be the most diffifcult thing you have ever had to do and deal with and get any help you can.  Check with your local cancer society for available resources in your area.  These can be as simple as money for gas to get to the doctor/ treatment or finding inexpensive help with your children when needed.  Check out the human resource office in the hospital which can sometimes provide very helpful info.  Good luck to you and your family.