In August 2023 I had an ulcer that wouldn't heal on my tongue biopsied (had been there since April) & found out I had squamous cell carcinoma cancer in my tongue.
I am a non smoker & have been my whole life, I barely drink, no family history. It honestly just blew my world apart.
I am not one to cry.. but I just couldn't stop crying.. how had my life turned into this.. how could I have cancer.. I felt like I was letting my husband & two sons down, that I had ruined our lives.
I had gone from not seeing a doctor in over 3 years as I never get sick, to constant appointments, Mri. pet/ct scans, & lymph node biopsy.
Then partial glossectomy surgery to remove part of my tongue in September. All I could think about was cancer.. it took over my life.
I returned to work after 2.5 weeks, because I knew mentally that I was not coping, & it was all that could make me feel like my life had purpose again. I was still dizzy a lot (an after effect of the anaesthesia) but I just couldn't sit here hiding away from the world any longer. No one knew how I truly felt, & isolation was my coping mechanism. I was good at hiding how low I was.
Early detection saved my story from becoming anymore grim. I was unlucky to get cancer, but lucky the surgery was a success & I didn't require chemo or radiation. The depth of invasion was right on the borderline of a neck dissection to remove my lymph nodes, so thankfully the surgical team decided I didn't require more surgery.
Thankful to be here & pretty much completely normal again (well as much as I ever was) my tongue has weird tastes & I speak well, but can hear myself tripping up on it when I am tired or rushing.
My perspective on life changed, I changed..
Please if you ever get a sore in your mouth & it doesn't heal within two weeks, get it checked. In my case the Doctor was useless, but a dentist took it seriously & got me into a specialist asap. You need to advocate for your health. Cancer is a ruthless, devastating disease. Getting it early is really your best chance of beating it. If you have anything you have been putting off getting checked.. the time is now.
Finally a huge thank you to all those who did support me this year. Your bookings, words of support, & gestures were honestly so amazing.
Lots of love, Shannon xx
