A Little Clarification

I got some email questions and after reading them realized I didn't do a very good job explaining things. When you live in a world of scans and tests, you assume everyone knows about them.  Yes Mary B, I cut and pasted this from your email because you asked great questions:) Oh, and I see the oncologist for the first time Wednesday morning.

When I saw the dr in early February, I had a sore on the (  ), right side.  He biopsied it, but was sure it was nothing. When the biopsy came back, it was another squamous cell carcinoma.  He ordered a PET and a dye contrast CT of the soft tissue, both eyebrows to kneecaps.

For the PET, you have a no carb diet for 24 hours, fast for six hours and slug down 32 oz of water four hours before. They inject you with radioactive sugar.  Cancer feeds on sugar, so spots where there is a concentration of sugar show up as "hot spots" that are assumed to be cancerous unless proven they are not.  For the CT, they inject you with iodine and it takes pictures of the soft tissue.  He learned several things from these two tests.

1) The original biopsy site is so insignificant and the biopsy itself removed most of it, so if this were the only concern, he would just watch it and not treat.  Your body often will clear up small carcinomas such as this. 

2) There is a hot spot at the top of my larynx and bottom of my larynx, neither of which was seen on the scan they did in October.  The CT confirmed that they were actual masses, @2cm in size, and the one at the bottom has some involvement with my cartilage.

3) A full laryngectomy would be another huge surgery at this point, leaving me breathing through my neck forever and pretty much eliminating all speaking.  He recommends seeing if we can knock it out with radiation and chemo first.

4) Since there was no node involvement this time, and nothing other than these two spots showed on the scans, they can do pinpoint radiation, aimed only at these two spots, plus the tiny one in my mouth (if they are zapping me anyway). The last time I had radiation from collar bones to cheek bones and ear to ear.  I've never had any chemo before.

Does that all make sense?  I'm still a little overwhelmed.  I'm still fighting what ever this bronchitis crud is, too.  If I could sleep, it would be great.

Meal ideas? No cilantro, mushrooms, or visible avocados.  Other than that, we'll try anything.

To my SAI Sisters, you know who you are, you have touched me so deeply with your amazing offer. My first instinct was to say, YES, YES, YES. However, I should be rational about this.  Let us see what the oncologist has to say about the treatment timeline.  I can assure this is a long way to come to watch me vomit. 

Do you have more questions?  I'll try to answer them:) I'll be the Dear Abby of oral cancer...