My Journey for battling Throat Cancer. I will not mention any Doctor names in my story for their privacy. To start this off, I was having major issues with my neck, pain, popping, grinding, & numbness in my left ring & pinky fingers. I have had two previous neck surgeries with the same issues for exception of the numbness. I had my 3rd neck surgery on March 7, 2018. During my recovery and healing time, I was seeing my doctor on a monthly visits to check my prognosis and check on any issues I may encounter during my recovery time. While at my monthly checkups I noticed I was having swallowing issues. As the monthly checkups I was having the swallowing issues have gotten worse, so I mentioned it my doctor that my swallowing is getting worse even having issues swallowing my salava so at that point my doctor asked me if I want him to refer me to see an ENT, immediately told him yes by all means. So now the story gets interesting from this point on. I was seen by a ENT Doctor on September 13, 2018 and after the examination was completed a growth was found on the back of my throat. So the following Wednesday a Contrast CT Scan was performed. After viewing the images it confirms a large growth/mass is in my throat. Then the following Wednesday a Biopsy was done taking 5 samples from the growth to be sent to the Pathology for testing. Then on October 10, 2018 a PET CT Scan was performed and the results from the PET Scan shows no Cancer other than what's in my Throat. On October 12, 2018 I got the results from the Pathology and confirms diagnosed with Squamous cell Carcinoma, my biopsy was diffusively positive for tumor cells on the Right Base of my tongue. On October 15, 2018 I saw one of the Robotic Surgeons and was given a more details of both the PET Scan and Contrast Scan images combined and was given two options on what to do, 1. Do Robotic Surgery to remove the tumor and do Radiation, or 2. Not do Robotic surgery and start Radiation immediately. The doctor also said IAW the old criteria as of January 2018 I'm in stage 3, after January 2018 I'm in stage 1. Now my life has changed in a split second. Cancer is a disease that no one wants to have. It can hit you like a ton of bricks, it does not care what age you are or what race you are. It changes your life all together. From this point I received a phone call from one of the Robotic Surgeons and he stated that he and the other Surgeon agreed not to do the Robotic surgery because it will do more damaged to my throat than normal so they recommend to do Radiation and immunotherapy. So now the rough road has started. I then saw an Oncologist on October 29, 2018 to decuss the mass, what treatments to take and what stage I'm in which he stated the same thing I was told by one of the Robotic Surgeons. On October 30, 2018 I saw the Cancer doctor again decussing the tumor, what treatments to take and what stage I'm in which his opinion I'm in stage 2. After speaking to the doctor they wanted to start my treatments on November 12, 2018 once the Insurance approves the treatments which it could take up to 48 hours. I had surgery to place both the Port and the PEG(feeding tube) on November 6, 2018. I then started my first Radiation and immunotherapy treatments on November 8, 2018. I am scheduled for 37 Radiation treatments and Immunotherapy on every Thursday. Radiation treatments will be M-F getting the weekends off.
Here's an up date: well I had my neck dissection surgery on this Monday afternoon, stayed in the recovery room for over two hours, my surgery was approximately 3hrs. During the surgery they found the Cancer wrapped around my vocal cords, the secondary jugular vein, and my carotid artery. The cancer was removed for exception of my secondary jugular vein, the vein was removed. Also the tumor that is on the right base of my tongue which shrunk during my Radiation treatments another biopsy was taken, if it comes back positive then another surgery is needed, Robotic surgery, to remove the tumor . If it comes back negative then I should be Cancer free. I was able to come home yesterday evening at 5:00pm. The Nurse's were awesome. I will keep you posted on the results from the biopsy that was taken from my tongue.
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