A bit wobbly and weak this morning, but on the slow road to recovery. The swelling on my ankles has subsided and the general anesthesia-induced lethargy is dissolving. The after effects of most of Thursday's surgery is subsiding and a somewhat normal thought process is coming round. Many thanks to all my family, friends, associates and supporters for your kind words of encouragement!
With cancer diagnosis and treatment, everything is speed. The rapidity of cancer cell growth is wicked fast. The best hope is a fast track to your doctor, oral surgeon, ENT or regular physical to monitor any changes in your body. You have to be on alert for changes but not in a state of constant suspicion or panic - use common sense. For head and neck cancer, being aware of changes to your tongue, tonsils, neck, lymph nodes, nasal passages, eye area and skin is critical. Speed in determining the prognosis and treatment cycle often means the probability in successfully beating cancer.
There are many resources available, some of the few of which are:
Caring4Cancer
Cancer Compass Information
The Cancer Compass Message Boards - where you can find out about various cancer
The American Cancer Society - You can find out about community resources and more
A great article on combining radiation and surgery for head and neck cancer patients
A man by the name of Brian Ankner is fighting tongue cancer and has a blog with photos available at
Send along your comments suggestions and stories via the comments section (click on the text link 'comments' to add yours). All are appreciated!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Everything is Speed
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I actually read your response on the cancer compass board and was shocked at what I saw!! I immediately came here and read the latest. My heart goes out to you and I just can't express how deeply saddened I feel to have read that. I just want to say to you not to give up! You have been quite a force on the message board and I love the way you put things into perspective. I spent some time here reading just about every entry you have written and it put a nice spin on things. I will never forget some of the kind words and advice you have had for myself and others. Hang in there and hugs and thoughts your way!
ReplyDeleteBrandi,
ReplyDeleteI deeply appreciate your kind thoughts! My deepest wishes go out to you and your loved ones. The important thing in all of these cancer related struggles is that there is an underlying lesson hidden amongst the dark clouds. There is good even in the bad stuff.
Whatever brings us closer to our life's purpose, which can be anything, it's all in the interpretation, is useful.
Thanks to good folks like yourself, my journey has been lighter and filled with more love and kindness which makes me very happy. You rock!