Referral for tongue biopsy

Hi there fella - so sorry to hear your news , an absolute shock to the system, difficult to have anything in preparation.

Things will happen quick and you’ll get the answers and a plan to the way forward- 

The next phase is going to give you knowledge of what when and how - positive.

with you all the way - anything you want to know from my experience, please ask, anytime if fine.

Nige

That is sad news but believe me it’s not the end if the world. My 80+ year old, at the time of surgery,  neighbour had tongue cancer just like yours. She had a simple excision with no reconstruction and has just passed her 5 year milestone 

There is an excellent charity called Young Tongues that has a very active social media presence 

Have a look at them too 

https://www.youngtonguesglobal.com/

1. Hi sorry I have just seen your 1st message and really sad to read your 2nd message. As you have said it would appear that you have caught things at a early stage.  My initial consultation medics only  sugegsted a biopsy as a precaution but within three weeks had a cancer diagnosis.  Had a scan within 10 days of diagnosis and a couple of weeks later 
2. had surgery and day before sentinel node procedure.    At this point try and keep yourself busy and  stay away from Dr. Google and if you have any questions just reach out.   It is always a good idea for  any further consultations  taking someone with you  as a second pair of ears and if there is anything you don't understand don't leave until they have explained fully.  Best wishes and  we have your back xx

Oh crikey.  Not the news we'd been waiting for but hang on to what Dani told you about her elderly neighbour - living proof that a possible cancer diagnosis doesn't mean game over.

Wishing you the very best of luck for what may be ahead.

Gill xx 

Mick makes a good point - not sure doctor google is the best way - so many great folk on here to share , listen and help you through - you’ll not fall - too many of us to catch you.

stay strong fella !

Nige

Hi it’s always a shock  to  ours system dnd our brains go into overdrive best advise don’t go on DR Google however much you may want to st best info out of date at worst it’s wrong unless you know where to look

the young tongues is a good place to start Dani put the link on  

. Take comfort from he words early stage.  I was merrily cycling away with a limo in my neck for 10 week’s before we hit home and I went to GP. Here I am 7 years later living a good life. In many cases with the tongue an operation to remove is all that’s needed. Like Dani’s neighbour. If you do need chemo radiotherapy again we’re here to help. The mri will tell him more along with biopsy. So now you’re in the system things move along quickly. 

tonight you’re head’s in a whirl but look on here there lots of  us who have through treatment and out the other side. 

hugs Hazel 

Hey there  big hug to you.  We have been exactly where you are and not that long ago.  We had our positive biopsy 16 Oct 2024.  My husband had a CT scan, MRI scan, chest x ray, blood tests, diagnosed stage 2 ngue cancer and had surgery, partial glossectomy and half neck dissection on the 21st January this year.  Started 30 sessions of radiotherapy 3rd April and it is his last session tomorrow!!  As I have said before we are in Portugal so protocol may be different but a little more scary in a foreign language with no support.  This Macmillan website and community is just fantastic also youngtonguesglobbal on instagram is really accurate and up to date.  You have got it early and it will be treatable if not curable.  Your children will have their daddy for many years to come.  Trust the process.  Absolutely terrifying we know but just get the biopsy done and take things day by day.   I so so wish we had found these communities earlier.  All we can do is give you our experience ️

oh gosh, not the news you wanted.

As others have said, stay off google - advice here (forum and general macmillan site) and on young tongues is reliable and supportive.

I found the whirlwind of diagnosis/scans/surgery quite full on (and mine was over Xmas!). Do you have family members/friends you can talk to to support you with your mental health through this, as well as practical day to day support?

And the positive is that the surgeon said "very early stage". My surgeon used the phrase "the best worst case scenario" for my situation, which made sense and was encouraging.

Sadly it is a shock to hear it’s a suspected Cancer but like everyone has said early stage is the best stage of any Cancer to have  We will all be here to help you through this.

Worrying about the uncertain future is normal but remember HPV related cancers have over90% cure rate!

Sounds like your team will do all the necessary tests asap and then if it is a definitive diagnosis of Cancer they will plan your treatment .

Thinking of you and sending you strength in this difficult time .

Debbie

Thank you Debbielouise, and thanks so much everyone for the kind words and commiserations - hard to know how to describe such reactions apart from commiserations. I also know that such "I'm sorry to hear you probably have cancer" reactions are hard to balance and express, so I really appreciate everyone who took the time to do so.

One thing that may seem a little odd, but which is my instinct - I've redacted the name of the consultant I saw yesterday. I'd hugely appreciate it if anyone who remembers using his name in a comment here did the same.

Why have I done this? Because I had mixed feelings about him, and I'd like to be able to continue to express feelings like that, if necessary, without it coming across as direct online criticism of a particular consultant.

I'll unpack how I felt about yesterday's appointment a little more, once I'm confident the guy's name is no longer here.

On the plus side, though: he came across as very serious and professional, which is what you want, obviously, rather than someone who wants to be your best friend. :) 

Yesterday, post-appointment, I met up with a friend who I'd never met in person before for a few beer garden drinks. I had no idea what to do before that - I'd just walked home in a daze and cried and yelled a bit.

Expressed the guilt I feel (towards my children) over never having even thought to look at this thing in my damn mouth for the best part of six months (I think).

Going out and meeting my friend turned out to be the right decision.

One key thing she told me is that her parents worked as radiographers, or something like that. And they told her that a person's refusal to give up has, in their view, a real influence over their outcome. She put it in a more nuanced way than that, but it did tweak my mindset a little.

Honestly, as I know countless others will have said before me, I can't believe this is happening to me. 

While the consultant said it was "very unlikely" that my cancer is Stage 4, my biggest fear now is the cancer having spread elsewhere. 

And my biggest worry is that I swear the pain and discomfort from the tumour has grown, even since this time last week. Or am I more aware of it? I don't know...

Thanks again, everyone. I'm really glad I joined this group. Will join Young Tongues too, as kind folk have suggested.