Dear Eva, My surgeon removed a chunk of my tongue and lymph nodes in March 2019 for oral cancer. I just finished radiation. My tongue is tight and I cannot eat well.The doctor says it will take 2-4 months after radiation, but I don’t feel any progress. Any advice? Regards, Asmaa Dear Asmaa, Radiation causes your tongue to feel stiff …
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Anxiety During Radiation Therapy to the Head and Neck
Dear Eva, 5 down and 25 to go! I’m having a lot of anticipatory anxiety before the treatment and am fine after it. Some of my appointments are at night because I haven’t gotten into an earlier slot soon enough. Waiting all day gets to me, mainly nauseous. Any tips for me ? I need to calm this stomach of …
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No Tongue and Grateful
Good thing she bit her tongue. She was resistant to seeing a doctor, but when it didn’t heal, she went. A squamous cell carcinoma more than 1/2 of her tongue. Were there other symptoms? Did she ever have pain in her tongue? Pain is the most common sign of oral cancer. Despite having most of her tongue reconstructed from her …
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Jim Kelly: Oral Cancer Survivor and ESPYS Perseverance Award Winner
How has oral cancer affected Jim Kelly? Listen to his voice. Or, rather his articulation. Can you imagine how he eats differently, swallows differently, sleeps with difficulty? Oral cancer is devastating and you cannot hide the results under your clothes. Jim Kelly accepts the Perseverance Award from ESPYS and gives a 5-minute acceptance speech mentioning his son Hunter and how …
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Sticking Out Tongue Straight: An Impossible Feat
I have adopted a sister, a survivor sister Dale Noelle. Tongue cancer became the topic of conversation between my friend Erin’s mother and Dale’s mother over a card game. They agreed Dale and I should meet. For months, our busy schedules didn’t allow us to plan a meeting. But, when I got the message she could attend a lecture I …