CANCER SURVIVORS CHECK-IN PRACTICE

Type of Cancer: HPV16

Medical Term for the Type of Cancer: Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the lower tongue

Diagnosis Date: November 2016

Stage of Cancer: Stage 4

Tumor Size: Marble sized

Surgery: Biopsy, port install and removal

Chemotherapy: Cisplatin x 3

Metastasized? Where?: Yes. To the marble ring on the side of my neck

Cancer Center: Knight Cancer Institute – Tualatin and Providence Radiation Oncology

Tongue Cancer symptoms: The old neck lump again

Surgery Description, Dates & Side Effects:  I was knocked out

Chemotherapy Description, Dates & Side Effects: Three bags in three week increments

Radiation or Proton Therapy Description, Dates & Side Effects:  Thirty five jolts over seven weeks

Immune Therapy Description, Dates & Side Effects:  Neulasta shot after last chemo dump

Now the hard part for cancer survivors.

I read the archived posts on blog for a cure.

It’s cancer survivors research to find the ‘norm.’

One of the bloggers, Debi, was a good read and I looked for more from her.

Then I scrolled down and came across the administrator’s news of her passing. I’d just read her last post of hope.

I sat at a center table on the second floor of the Tigard library sprinkling from an odd sadness. A stranger’s blog post hit all the buttons. They wrote about cancer the way I like reading it. Then they died and got me right in the soft spots.

What didn’t get me in the soft spots was reading the throat cancer archive. My guys.

Only a few of the thirty one throat cancer bloggers mentioned P16. This is the problem.

I’m a sunny side up blogger, posting on the bright side. When Tiger Woods offered up his famous apology I thought he needed to make a pitch for safe sex condoms to make it right.

But he didn’t.

At the same time, if you get a neck bump that goes cancer and it’s not HPV16, why not give a shout out for safe sex practices anyway.

Won’t hurt a thing.

Cancer is one thing to deal with, more than enough for so many, and really too much. But there it is, so why not put it to work, cancer survivors?

Give a little relationship help while fighting the good fight. Like this:

“Use caution, be willing to talk and ask questions, don’t dive into things too fast.”