If you’re a resident of BC, I encourage you to look at the following.
The Province of BC has released a discussion paper on Building BC’s Recovery, Together and is asking for public input to share ideas about opportunities ahead and to think broadly about recovery that will meet the needs of British Columbians.
Feedback can be submitted to recoveryideas@gov.bc.ca, or take the BC Restart and Recovery Survey.
Dealing with Base of Tongue Cancer 
Hello!
Thank you for all the detail and time you took to maintain this blog, it has been very helpful.
Am 68, male, otherwise terrific health in Princess Margaret (actually Toronto General for the surgery 22/9) and recovering sort of well. TORS (Trans Oral Robotic Surgery) of 2cm tumour at base of tongue and two lymph nodes from under my jaw (said 20-20 in total, unsure how many removed) surgeon said looked good but the 50 cent piece of flesh removed is bigger than the quarter size mentioned at outset.
How are you doing now?
Did you stop posting in May 21 as all the Covid stuff was depressing and (perhaps?) you were discouraged with the follow rate to your posts?
As you noted back in 2019 not a lot of info out there.
I was horrified in January to read of Stanley Tucci going through this in ‘18 or ‘19 and figured I could never handle (still not thinking about chemo & might decline five weeks of five times of radiation (wife is ok with that thought)
My thanks again,
Alan
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Hi Alan.
I stopped posting simply because I had nothing more to offer to people. My conditions weren’t changing, and I wasn’t learning anything new, so I just stopped.
It’s now four years since I finished treatment. I’m feeling absolutely fine, and my oncologists are very happy with the results.
I go back for two more 6-month checkups, and then I expect to be done. The only after-effect of my treatment is that I have a difficult time eating some types of bread and some types of meat. High-gluten breads are fine, but cake-like breads just turn into paste in my mouth. Similarly with meat, I find fibrous meats like chicken, stewing beef, and salmon to be difficult to swallow, because chewing just turns them into a paste. But hamburger, salami, and cod are just fine. It appears that my salivary glands don’t produce as much saliva as I’d like, and I think the makeup of my saliva is also lacking in some enzymes that might be useful.
Aside from that “paste” problem, I’m totally good. No problems with dry mouth at night, no swallowing problems, no mouth lesions.
I do take Synthroid. Radiation treatment can affect one’s thyroid gland, and in my case blood tests indicated that my thyroid production was low. Interestingly, at the same time that I was prescribed a low dose of Synthroid, I’d also noticed that I was starting to lose more hair. I was 67 when I noticed this, and was ticked because I’ve always had more hair than my two younger brothers. Within a couple weeks of starting Synthroid, though, my hair loss absolutely stopped. Yay!
As I noted in my blog, radiation was deemed the most effective treatment for my situation, and it appears to me that was absolutely correct. I just can’t comment on surgery or chemo. I wish you luck with your treatment.
-Ken
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Thank you, Ken, for the detailed update & very proper conclusion to your exercise!
Am in great hands…next three weeks will be interesting, my wife is well prepared for the diet issues and we watch my weight change, plus note the small (5%0 chance of the cauterized area getting a bleed (means hour long trip to PMH emergency)
Thanks too for the hair tip with Synthroid – hasn’t been an issue for this still full head of hair!
Alan
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Alan,
Keep in mind that the Synthroid was required only because I had radiation.
Your earlier note indicated that you had chosen not to have radiation treatment. Why not? Did your oncologists recommend that you don’t?
I know that some people had real problems following radiation, but I’d like to note that not everyone does.
-Ken
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Too long to give you proper context – I just don’t see it being worthwhile.
Been a great life and we all reach a finish line. Four surgeries in eight years it’s like I switched work and athletics for medical tourism (this event isn’t what I was thinking of three months ago & feel rushed in to it for everyone else’s peace of mind)
No final decisions before listening to the plans and suggestions of the Oncologist October 24th.
Stay great and thank you for creating your blog,
Alan
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Well, Alan, I certainly get the “…been a great life…” attitude. I had the same feelings about chemo; given all that I’d read about it, if it was recommended, I was pretty much thinking I wouldn’t go there. Thankfully, my medical oncologist said I was good to go without it.
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