Today was my first visit with the oncologist, Dr. Trillo. Can’t say that I like him all that much, but he wasn’t offensive. He’s just too soft spoken and not matter-of-fact enough. He suggested that I get the mediport and G-tube placed before therapy because, of course I’ll need the tube. That got me crying. They he started talking about daily radiation. That continued me crying. I’m still hoping to work through all this. So much of the appointment was spent crying for me while John asked the questions. Doc did recommend I get a baseline PET CT scan, so that we make sure there’s nothing else we need to worry about. Got that scheduled for 2 weeks from today. He also referred me to Dr. Greenberg, a radiation oncologist. I got my appointment with him Monday morning. Right after the weekend. The ball is moving fast now.
Learned something new today…
Well, I found out this morning that Dr. Mehendale helped Dr. Ehmer with the surgery. I was in with Marcus for his ear tube placement surgery, and Dr. M asked about my incision; one thing led to another, and it turns out he was helping cut on me too. Honestly I don’t blame my doc for calling in help. Did you see the length of that sucker? and 60 or so lymph nodes? Sounds like a lot of work.
Funny aside, not ha ha funny, my hair is falling out. A lot. Must be my body is giving up on the hair and concentrating on the gash in my neck. Oh well, now I wonder if chemo is only going to speed the process. ❓
And the final diagnosis is…
Well, it’s a tonsil squamous cell carcinoma highly positive for human papilloma virus #16 with spread to a group of coalesced lymph nodes on the right side of the neck. Curable with chemotherapy and radiation mixed together. Dr. Ehmer recommends a mediport to make chemo easy (totally going there) and don’t rule out a G-tube to supplement feeding (totally going there if I need to). Hoping to work while I go through treatment. We shall see what the future will bring. If I can’t handle the chemo, then a radical tonsillectomy is the answer. But then half my throat would be gone too, and that’s not great for eating, talking, etc. The medical route is highly recommended. :deep breath:
And the stitches are out!
Got my sutures removed today. The pathology report is not back yet, but we’re just waiting on the HPV typing now. It looks like right tonsil SCC with spread to one or a group of coalesced lymph nodes. The majority of the 60 or so LNs he took out 😮 did not have cancer. Yay! Incision is looking good. The steroid ointment actually worked.
Reaction to steri-strips
Big shock, but of course I’m having an enormous allergic reaction to the tape the doc put on my incision on my neck. Red, swollen, itchy (even through the numbness!). Went in to get it looked at. Saw Dr. McDuffie (not a fan, but then he’s not my doc) and he gave me some triamcinolone ointment. Let’s hope it works!
My drain tube
Had to take a picture of my drain tube since it’s coming out today. Don’t want to forget that little experience. I kept the bulb tucked in my bra, so really with a normal neckline sweater or shirt, you couldn’t see much of the tube. You can see in the photo that my right lower lip is a little crooked – don’t have much control over that. Makes for very interesting flushing of mouth while brushing teeth. 🙂
The day I got my diagnosis
I went in to the hospital this morning to have that pesky lymph node in my neck removed with pathologist standing by to read out any problems, so that my doctor could do whatever was necessary. I was given the whole it could be this, that, and the other speech, but of course cancer was low on the list. I just wanted to get in and get out with one procedure, so upon awaking I was going to have a surprise. Woke up in recovery in the hospital with 2 drain tubes and a 4 inch incision on the right side of my neck. I knew the news was not going to be good. After an hour in the recovery room, I was finally moved to my hospital room where my husband, John, told me that they found squamous cell carcinoma in my neck. It had originated in my right tonsil and was likely due to a human papilloma virus infection. These cancers are treatable and curable with radiation and chemotherapy, but I have to have a CT scan of my lungs first to make sure the cancer hadn’t spread. I got whisked away later in the afternoon to get that scan. My doctor finally came in the evening to tell me the results of the scan and what they found in surgery. No spread to the lungs and the cancer is curable. Staying positive and awaiting pathology results on the lymph nodes that were taken out.