CancerCompass message board discussion started by bbedw23502 on 3/18/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,22135,0.htm Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ I'm a male, 55 years old. Non smoker Drink beer once in a while, abt 1 or 2 a month.I found a lump on the left side of my neck in January this year.  They removed my left lymph node which was found to be Stage III cancer.  The ENT said that cancer does not start in your lymph node so he would have to start looking for the primary source.  He referred me to a DR at the Eastern Virginia Medical College.  I was scheduled to have them perform a biopsy/removal of my tonsils.It was found that my left tonsil was cancer.  Plan of action is to have radiation/chemo treatments as soon as I get cleared from the dentist.My boss went on a rant about doing this type of treatment but in the end my wife and I have decided to go with the treatments.  Mind you I am a little scared about the ill effects of the treatment. God will see me through.  Any helpful suggestions would be tremedous.  Thanks and I wish this was one club I was not part of.Also does anyone out there know if this could be a possible effect from Vietnam War Agent Orange? bbedw23502 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Go to www.vva.org  to obtain a list of presumtive cancers and other types. Click on agent orange and scroll down for the present total list of cancers related to AO. Please contact the Vietnam Veterans of America in your state and speak to a service rep. immediately. Good Luck. Phil A (Massachusetts) Phil A. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT i was dx with a stage 3 tonsil ca in jan 05. following extraction of same. following surgery i had 37 imrt radiations with 7(?) chemos. i had to get a peg tube to keep myself hydrated and to take in enough calories to heal. with out the tube i would not have been able to force enough fluids/calories to survive. this tx is no picnic but what choice do we have? radiation has a cumulative effect such that after your last radiation one continues to feel worse. ofcourse after the bottom is reached one continues to get better. long process but i now feel worth every bit of it and it was hell and there were times when i questioned the whole process.having been radiated in the mouth my salivation glands took a real hit. i have limited production of saliva now but at least i produce some. salagen is helping to some degree and biotyne products work wonders. i should buy some stock in that? anyway, i still have my teeth and feel i am lucky. taste seems to slowly be getting better. it is variable even after 3 years. i suspect the amount of salivation may also be an issue with taste. definitely is with swallowing. pasta, oatmeal, things like that are easy to eat. some foods give me real problems but i can eat most foods without choking although the potential is always there. i never eat now without having water/liquid handy. one sip does wonders for that epiglotis......one more thing....i noticed i am a much more emotional person than i ever used to be. not necessarily a bad thing. blackbart Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT What kind of prognosis did your doctor give you insofar as rate of progression?I would personally never opt for mainstream treatment without first trying natural alternatives.  Have you considered at least looking at what nature might have to offer?My thinking is what will the harm be in trying an alternative for a month - and if there has been no spread or increase in the cancer, or even better, a decrease, then go another month.  You may just go on until the cancer is gone and you have not only beaten the symptoms of cancer (the cancerous cells) but also the underlying causes.Regardless of what you choose, I would highly, highly recommend a good natural cleansing and detox.  Bentonite clay would be an excellent start.  And there are some very good liver, bowel, gallbladder and kidney cleanses as well.Good luck! Let me know if you want some information on natural alternatives. I have spent many years and tens of thousands of hours researching them. Dquixote1217 Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Welcome to the club. Not one any of us likes qualify for; however, helpful when we need someone who has been there to talk to. Are they calling your cancer Lymphoma? I have had lymphoma twice. The second time, it started in my left tonsil and a small lump in my neck just outside where the left tonsil was. Since it was my second time with lymphoma, I had a stem cell transplant this time. So far, so good. I was off work 50 weeks, and have been back to work for 1 1/2 years. If you have some specific questions you would like answered I would be happy to reply. Otherwise, I could go on and on about this experience and bore you to death. I can tell you that nobody's experience is totally the same, but it helps to have an idea of what others have experienced. A positive attitude goes a long way towards a positive outcome. Faith in God is even better!God Bless You in your journey. Beasley  Beasely Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT