Sending you a huge huge virtual hug this evening. I hope you are wrong about a recurrence but I'm sure you'll have the strength for whatever journey lies ahead. They'll be plenty of support here should you need it. Keep us updated.
Hi Margaret. So sorry that you are going through this worry and fingers crossed that it is not a recurrence. However do not despair if it does turn out to be a recurrence. I started my cancer journey in 2013 with cancer of the jaw. In 2019 I went into a spiral as I had another diagnosis in another part of my jaw. This was a hard time and I felt the same as you really panicy. However early detection was the key and I had another op and more radiotherapy and recovered well and got back to a good quality of life. Then I got another diagnosis in 2022 in another part of my jaw. This time I had gone through all the panic in 2019 and took it more in my stride. Fast forward to today and I am still here with another successful op behind me and again living a good quality of life.
There is so much that can be done if cancer raises it's head again. Trust in your team they will do everything they can for you if it is required. However I have everything crossed for you that this turns out to be a false alarm.
Thank you very much Lyn. It's so reassuring to hear from you and I'm pleased that you're doing so well.
Things continue to move rapidly here. Woke up this morning and decided to use a mirror to make sure I did the cleaning procedures in my mouth thoroughly as they decided not to stitch the incision cut yesterday. Whilst doing this I spotted several new issues that are a red flag for the return of my base of tongue cancer.
We've had a sleepless night worrying so I decided to be proactive. I rang the number the hospital gave me for 24 hour concerns. Spoke to a MaxFac Doctor and listed new symptoms. I said that I was going to have an open and honest one way discussion with her. I said that I'm convinced the cancer is back and I think MaxFac strongly suspect it too. Presumably the next step is that at some point over the next few days the hospital will ring me with some pretext to get me back up there so they can tell me this in person. So can we speed things up and I know there used to be a Head and Neck rapid diagnosis clinic on Thursdays and I'd like to be transferred from MaxFac to somewhere like that please.
She said I hear all what you're saying and someone will definitely urgently review your notes and call back later this morning.
Hello Margaret, just sending good luck & a big hug. Recurrence is what we all fear, but even if it is there are many hopeful stories on here. Good luck again!
Catriona
September 2022 aged 63 diagnosed with HPV associated SCC base of tongue T4 N2 M0. Chemo & radiotherapy for 6 weeks ending Nov 2022. Now over 2 years all clear. See my profile for longer story
Hello Catriona. Thanks for your kind words. I've just read your profile and we have several similarities.
I liked your tip about pension annuities. Glad it worked for you. It didn't for me! I tried it in 2020 so I could cash in a private pension and take early retirement. They reviewed my medical records, decided my cancer history was no longer relevant, so I was going to be assessed the same as someone who hadn't had cancer. Quote was very low so I took a drawdown instead.
