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Meet others living with Head & Neck Cancer: Introduce yourself
Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Sep 21 5:27pm | Replies (538)Comment receiving replies
Good morning to all,
Today is my one year Whippleversary as I have Pancreatic cancer. I am celebrating but yesterday my husband went to an ENT only to find out he most likely has tonsil cancer. They are doing a CT scan next week and then more decisions will be coming. I had my surgery done at Mayo in Rochester, Minnesota and that is where I think my husband should go as well, but we live at our house in Arizona in the winter so perhaps Mayo here. I would love to hear more about tonsil cancer, honestly, I did not even know he had tonsils anymore. I do know they plan to take his tonsils out but because he is on Cumiden and is considered a “bleeder”, they said it will be a tricky surgery as there is a lot of bleeding with this surgery in adults anyway. As you can imagine, I have tons of questions and I am not sure he has the right surgeon. Any comments or suggestions would be much appreciated. I am on the Mayo Whipple Warrior survivor site and I know how helpful that has been for my cancer and as my husband’s caretaker I need all the help I can get. Thank you all.
Replies to "Good morning to all, Today is my one year Whippleversary as I have Pancreatic cancer. I..."
Hi, I was diagnosed with HPV related cancer in my tonsil and a lymph node on the right side of my neck in May 2023. It grew too quickly for surgery, so I had seven weeks of proton therapy radiation - every weekday for a total of 35 treatments and chemotherapy once a week at Mayo in Phoenix. The treatment was excellent, the chemo and radiation care teams were top notch professionals and very compassionate and supportive. In addition, my wife and I were provided with an incredible array of auxiliary treatment, a really excellent Speech-Language Pathologist, Audiologist, Social Worker and Gastroenterology team. I don’t have any experience with the Rochester Mayo but highly recommend the Phoenix campus.
My wife and I found that the waiting rooms designated specifically for radiation and medical oncology (chemo) were very helpful. We made a point of striking up conversations with other patients and their caregivers which provided an invaluable sense of community. Knowing you’re not alone in the struggle is priceless. Best of luck to you
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Hi @dgoinvestments Probably a good thing he has his tonsils as the cancer becomes contained there rather than spreading too much. I agree the Coumadin will cause issues but I would think the doctors will take him off of this for a few days prior to surgery. They look at what is vs what may be and decide that what is, is cancer that will result in death if not treated. However, if they can get a biopsy and find it is HPV16+ type and get themselves acquainted with chemo treatments, perhaps there may be a different route.
As for me, I would return to MN this winter and get this addressed. If he needs radiation then perhaps return to AZ for that. But that's just me as I look at things from an engineering logic perspective.
See what the doctors say and find out the route which works best. Tonsil cancer most likely is SSC or Squamous Cell Carcinoma and is today rather successful in treatment and full recovery. The side effects of the treatment can be a rough road for anyone primarily because of all that happens in life with the mouth and throat.
What with your health situation and now your husband's, this is not the sort of living anyone looks forward to. Prayers to both of you.
Is there a follow-up appointment soon? Can you keep me posted?