Hello Ime New :-(

..and scared . I have just been diagnosed with cancer of the voicebox.. (vocal chords) following a biopsy .. have just had an mri scan done to determin if the cancer is just the vocal chords or has spread elsewhere.

What can i expect from here on .. could somebody give me some helpful info .. without scarieng the **** out of me please

Well, I'm a Squamous Cell Tonsil cancer patient. There are only 3 real ways to treat this as far as I know (w/o going the alternative medicine route). They are surgery, chemo. and radiation. Depending upon your circumstances you may need one, two, or all three. They'll need to stage you, see if it is in your lymph nodes, and if it has spread and how far. Then they'll determine your course of action. Once you find out all of that, those on the board that have had similiar can explain what to expect. Like throat sores, etc. In my opinion you just need to be in the best medical facility there is. That makes a huge difference. I'm pro MD Anderson in Houston since World News and Reports ranked them Number one in the country. You can google and find out that report that ranked the top ten.

In the meantime, just try hard not to worry to much about it. Try to stay positive. I know it is hard. But always remember, there are more people living w/ cancer then there are those dieing from it. Cancer care has come a long ways. Just put yourself in good hands and let them do their thing.

Good luck and God Bless.

Stay in touch w/ this board. It's a great resource and comfort.

Rick

Hello ime new:-(

We are all in this together, and we support you in your struggle. Arm yourself with as much information as you can find - this is an excellent site - and keep positive. There are miracles out there. Ask your Doctor LOTS of questions, and make sure you understand the answers and your options. There are "Natural" protocols available (I follow some, in conjunction with tranditional medicine) that may also be helpful, but I would caution that you be sure it is good quality product. I would suggest you keep as active as you can and eat a healthy diet to arm your imune system to fight for you. Keep love in your live, and think positive. It helps to have your family with you when visiting your doctor for several reasons. Moral support, and more important, many heads take in more information and can ask more questions! That's what we do, even so far as using a small conference room. My doc expects it now.

Like Rick said, first you need some more info from your doc. They will probably want to do a CT or PET scan to determine the staging of your cancer and then they can determine a course of treatment.

Dont be afraid to ask questions. Try to get someone to go with you to every appointment, preferably the same person. They will remember things you wont, ask questions you forgot about and lend support that you will need. Stick around here, once you have some answers from your oncologist and ENT we can tell you a little more about what to expect.

Hang in there, we're all in this together.

Best wishes,

Mike

Thank you Rick.. Mike and Alberta for your replys.. ime pleased ive found this site .. have learned alot and am armed with lots of questions now.

Does anybody know of any "chat rooms " dealing with cancer issues please

Love, light and blessings to you all :-)

 

I'm new to this site, too, and it is wonderfu that everyone is so helpful.  My husband has recently begun treatment for Stage 4 tonsil cancer - had some surgery to remove lymph nodes and now gets Cetuximed once a week and radiation daily for 5 weeks.  He is in week three. His attitude started out great, but he has days of depression.  He's in sales, so the condition of his skin - mega pimples covering his face, back & chest really bothers him, and he doesn't feel so hot (no surprise there).  His doctor is ecstatic with how bad his skin looks - says it means the Cetuximed is working wel.  He's just starting to get some radiation burns in his mouth, so he can eat most foods (not spicy!). He takes Atavan and Oxycodone. He's a really healthy guy, and his plan was to continue working out, but he's kind of down, so he hasn't been doing that.  I want to be sympathetic - I AM sympathetic.  I just don't know if I should push him to stay active or not.  I try to encourage him, but I can't begin to know how he feels or the level of discomfort.  I do know it is going to get worse before it gets better.  He says he is feeling like a wimp (not his word...)  Any suggestions from you all would be so appreciated.  I just want to give him the right support.

I wouldn't presume to know what's best for your husband, but if he is still active and working 3 wks into treatments, he's doing great!!!!!!! The longer he can keep that up--! I'm a believer that it's OK to get & 'wallow in' depression for a bit. It helps with the acceptance of what you're dealing with and the courage to go on. You have to change your mindset totally. Hopefully he'll believe it'll all get better and he'll recover and so then it's time to do whatever necessary to end the depression and concentrate on recovery and living. Life sucks-alot-and it still does sometimes whether your're happy or not; so why not be happy? And I know it's easier said than done. Day by day,   the old mantra. But it's the way to go, I think. Keep being "up" and supportive and encouraging! Best of luck! Gayle