Tongue Cancer Awareness....

  It's Follow Friday 40 and Over at Never Growing Old. Come and join along.

    I'm using this post today to hopefully get more people to read this.

(This is long, but please read. It could save your life or someone you love.)

Those of you that knew me before blogging came into my world, know that in March 2008 I found out that I had tongue cancer.
 I had some crusty places on my tongue that my dentist, and my oral surgeon were very concerned about. They sent me on to some maxilliofacial doctors - Ghali/Kim.
 After the first 3 biopsies within about a 3 year span, they just told me to watch it, and come back if I suspected anything, but to come once a year for checkups if I felt I needed to.
 Those places started getting sore so I figured it was time to return to the doctor. Good thing I did, because this time they were malignant - squarmous cell carcinoma.
 Anyone who had had any kind of cancer diagnosis knows the feeling. I will never forget the look on my son, daughter, and husband's face when I woke up, and asked if everything was ok. Utter despair! but lots of reassurance that all would be fine. Well, no one except God above knows that for sure!

 In May 2008, I had very major surgery. You can read about it in my Archives (just scroll down the page) if you wish.

 That's why my daughter started this blog.  It was traumatic, painful, and overwhelming, but in the end, I had a good outcome. There was no cancer in the lymph nodes, and I didn't have to take chemo/radiation. Thank you God!  (Short version: Dr. cut out the cancerous tongue, took the main vein in my left arm to use for my tongue's blood flow, took a piece of muscle from my forearm to repair my tongue, took skin from under my arm to repair my forearm. Basically cut from my left ear down and back up to my throat. 12 hr. surgery)

  Of course they explained all of this to me during my post-op appointment - but hello! Do you think I really understood what was going to happen? and neither did my family. I think in some ways it was harder on them than me - at least for the first few days because I was in ICU unconscious.

  The miracle part is - on the 8th day I was talking! Amazing to say the least. As horrible as it sounds, the inside of my mouth gave me the least amout of pain and discomfort.

  Now my message is this. So many people do not realize how common mouth/tongue cancer is, and people don't get these things checked as they should. I was in the 4% to even get this as I had never smoked. Smokers are in a very high % to get mouth/tongue cancers. One reason mine was so successful is that it was all confined to the tongue area, and they were able to remove it. Yes, I have regular checkups. I have wonderful doctors. They know me personally if I see them on the street. That's how often I've been there. They are like my family.

  Just last week I went to the funeral of the sister of a friend. She died from tongue/mouth cancer. She was only diagnosed/operated on a little over a year ago. Hers was already in Stage 4. She had a lot of complications after the surgery. It was so sad. She was only 55 years old.

  Dr. Ghali was at the visitation as she was also his patient. The first thing he said to me was, "When do I see you again?" I will be there in September!

 I have met two other bloggers whose lives have been affected by this cancer. I will post their links for you to read and meet them.
 SIMPLY DEBBIE - she lost her precious daughter to tongue cancer.
 WHEN I'M NOT WORKING - Peg's husband is a tongue cancer survivor.

  Thanks to blogging and social networks maybe we can spread more information about tongue cancer.
  Feel free to post a link to this. It is very important to me to inform people about tongue cancer.