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Nerve damage effecting tongue, muscle, swallowing.
Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (61)Comment receiving replies
Hi my name is Alicia I'm 47 I recently had a CT scan of my neck because I had a bad heartburn I couldn't get rid of I was told there was a mass on my tongue down my throat and it was cancer. 3 weeks passed since I was told that I'm still waiting to see an ent doctor because whete I live everywhere is booked until March I've been back and forth to the hospital but they don't do anything and I'm waiting for an mri as well. In the meantime I've had to take weeks off work unpaid because since I can't swollow food I get sick at work or choke I'm scared I really do have cancer on my tongue I can move my tongue I can't swallow food other than baby food or mashed potatoes.
Replies to "Hi my name is Alicia I'm 47 I recently had a CT scan of my neck..."
@alicia17frank You don’t need an ENT, you need an Oncologist. Waiting until March for an ENT to tell you that isn’t a good choice. You have something that is killing you and waiting only makes it worse. With cancer, nothing else matters because this is life or death. You need to take charge and be proactive. Tell your primary doctor to get this ball rolling, now! If they can’t address your situation, go somewhere else.
This is all my opinion however it is based on experience. If you say a year from now you should have gotten help sooner and now you are in a real bad fight, you will make me cry, and I don’t like to cry.
P. S. Welcome to our group. I hope we can help from a patient’s viewpoint
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@alicia17frank I’m truly sorry you’re in this situation and further sorry that you can’t get into an ENT.
I went miss diagnosed twice by former primary care physician and ENT for nearly a year.
During my 6 month dental cleaning and check up my dentist found me to have tongue and throat cancer just 2 days after my 2nd miss diagnosis!!
My dentist contacted the ENT and told him to move quickly on my diagnosis and I got into the ENT a couple days later and yes Stage IV cancer!
I hade severe ear pain, difficulty swallowing food, cravings for sweets ad taking 4 exederine for migraine every 4 hours to ease the ear pain.
If you have a dentist may they can help expedite your ENT visit. Time is of the essence.
You have to have a full mouth exam and if any teeth in the radiation zone are questionable they need to be extracted and heal for 21 days prior to treatment.
As for work, I met my oncology team quickly and was ordered to file for disability at the age of 54 because they said I would never return to work.
I wish you the best and keep us updated. If you need a shoulder you can pm me any time
Jody