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← Return to HPV P16 positive cancer
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Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Mar 26, 2023 | Replies (107)
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I am hpv 16 head and neck cancer and it’s in at least 3 lymph nodes on left side. I have neck dissection surgery scheduled at John’s Hopkins for Friday not sure what to expect from the surgery or how I will feel after. Want to start radiation asap after the surgery. My cancer was on the left side of tongue.
Replies to "I am hpv 16 head and neck cancer and it’s in at least 3 lymph nodes..."
Thank you for sharing & good luck. I went through treatment for HPV related tongue cancer last summer & am in recovery now. My only advice is to talk to your doctor about a feeding tube early on. I needed one by the mid way point as I wasn’t able to eat at all and they waited to long to put it in. I ended up staying in the hospital for four days because I had lost so much weight.
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Prepare for the worst. Hope for the best. This trip is not easy for anyone and recovery is much longer than a broken bone or most surgeries.
HPV 16 or otherwise, it is still cancer, the cause of which doesn't make it any easier to deal with. Twenty years ago we only found out about the HPV link. Prior to that it was still cancer.
This is a fight you must fight and a fight you and your team can and usually do win. Hopefully twenty years from now you can help out others fighting this as I do. Or better yet we will have finally conquered this literal pain in the neck cancer. At least you are at one of only a few hospitals / clinics in the US that is well versed in handling your cancer. Good luck and God speed to recovery.