Hi Zarker

I had severe displacia of the vocal chords around 5 years ago and was told that I needed laser treatment immediately as it "was very close to cancer". I had laser treatment a few times and had to have biopsies done around every 2 - 3 months but in my case it had gone too deep so they could only laser the surface and it kept coming back. If you are a smoker you should give it up immediately as my consultant told me to avoid smoke at all costs.

I went on to have larygneal cancer but I was stage T2-3 when I was eventually diagnosed. I was successfully treated with radiotherapy 28 months ago and touch wood everything is fine and my voice is better than it's been for years.

On a positive note they are closely monitoring you and as you are at a very early stage hopefully they will be able to get rid of it with laser treatment alone.

I wish you well and hope that the next laser treatment will be the end of it.

Marion x

Hi Marion ,

Thanks very much for your reply it was most helpful. I hope you don't mind me asking but how long was it from when they found displacia to you being diagnosed with laryngeal cancer? As this is what I think may be happening to me. They said inicially It could be treated with laser alone and after my last laser treatment yesterday that the return was on the surface only and did not warrant rdiotherapy at the moment and he had done deeper biopsys which he says hes sure arn't cancerous. This has as you know been a very difficult time for me as i'm so scared of loosing my voice or having to have a laryngectomy which I've been told is unlikely. i'm reassured to know that after your treatment your voice is now good. Thank you again and I hope you continue to do well. Andy

p,s gave up smoking 5 years ago and after this will never go back to it!

HI Marion,

Glad you had a good time in NY, I love it there. Had my laser procedure a week ago, so still feeling a little tender and voice is v hoarse ( whats new!) and they did some more laser and biopsy's. I have a strong feeling its not good news. Since I had a the laser I have been sent for another neck and chest CT scan today, the resluts of which I won't get till tomorrow and I had an ultra sound on my neck which fortunately seems to indicate there are no lumps and my lymph nodes aren't swollen.

I rang the macmillan nurse who works with my consultant yesterday and she seemed to indicate between the lines that they may have found something else and that I may need to have RT. This is all hearsay at the moment as my follow up appt isn't till tomorrow but I think this is what they will say as all the tests seems to have been done super quick.

Its really disappointing as I was so hoping there wouldn't have been a reacurrance, still I guess I have to wait till tomorrow to be told for sure.

Regards

Andy

Hi Luckyus

You've probably seen that I've been away for a few days so have only just seen your kind message, it was so nice of you to write. It's great to hear that our postings have helped in some way as I tend to forget that others are reading them as well!

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband but I'm sure he will be fine as it's at a very early stage. If you're ever worried about anything please get in touch as I check this site regularly.

Take care and let us know how your husband is getting on.

Love Marion

Hi Andy

Poor you, I know only too well what you are going through. Before I got my results I was send an appointment for a MRI head and neck scan and then a CT scan for my thorax so I knew before my appointment that it wouldn't be good news but it could all be routine and they might just be checking.

Roll on tomorrow, at least you will know what you may have to deal with and if you do need RT at least you will be able to get rid of it once and for all. Try not to get too down - easier said than done I know.

I'll be posting tomorrow to see how you get on - good luck!

Love Marion x

Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear of your husbands cancer but glad to hear our posts have helped. When your first told you don't quite know where to turn thats why I decided to post and see if there was anyone else going through the same thing. As you can see fortunately people did respond and its been a huge source of support to all of us as people on the outside don't always understand what we are going through, Marion and Chris have been especially helpful.

It sounds like your husbands cancer is at a very early stage and can be successfully treated with laser and he will be monitored carefully through out. As you can see from our stories its not always an easy ride and there are lots of ups and downs along the way. Its always best to remember that this disease affects everyone differently and while its useful to know what might happen in one person may not be the case for the other so don't be too disheartened by our stories, hopefully soon there will be light at the end of the tunnel for all of us as there has been for Marion. In the meantime if you want any information or just a chat don't hesitate to ask.

Regards

Andy

Thanks Marion, will let you know how I get on.

Andy

Hi Marion

will keep you informed he is going for laser and biopsy on 10 november.

I hope you had a good trip.

i am a realist, but also my glass is always half full, so i live in hope i needed to know the good the bad and the ugly and i am gratefull you all told me honestly without even knowing it. i started reading the first day we were told it was the dreaded C word. i am sure so many more people read and do not post it feels like stepping on a private conversation but i needed you to know how helpfull you all were.

Thank you

Lucky us

Hi Andy

Thank you for your kind reply, i have gone on this site every day since we found out. in perticular this post ( as it was so relevant) i am a get the knowledge person and my husband puts his head in the sand ony asking me the odd question.

Although he is at the very early stage and i am so gratefull it was diagnosed early i do realise we are on a long long road for a few years now. and through reading this post i have gained so much knowledge about the treatments.

Thanks again

Lucky us

Really glad to hear we have been of some help. The last few days have been difficult and your posts have cheered me up, just knowing that someone else has benefitted from what we write here, its good to see something positive has come from it. Please feel free to read the posts and comment and keep us up to date on your husbands progress.

All the best

Andy

Hi Luckyus

It's great that you are a realist, I am the other way round with the glass half empty! Your husband is very fortunate to have you there for him to face the facts but at the same time being positive. I am sure he will be fine as I was a T3 when I started my treatment and I am 3 years post -treatment, disease free (touch wood!) and my voice back to normal.

I'm so glad you have been reading our posts and that it has helped you have a better understanding of laryngeal cancer. My daughter's friend aged just 30 has just been diagnosed with the same and is waiting to start her treatment next month. I am going to meet her next week as she wants to ask lots of questions and I hope that I will be able to reassure her.

Please let us know how your husband gets on after 10 November and remember we are here for you.

Take care

Marion x

Hi Andy

I'm thinking of you. Let me know how you got on today when you get a chance!

Love Marion x

Hi Andy

I'm thinking of you. Let me know how you got on today when you get a chance!

Love Marion x

Thanks Marion that means a lot, i'm absolutely dreading it, as i fear its bad news, but guess i just have to take what comes and make the best of it, feels like i'm walking to the scaffold! keeping fingers and toes crossed

Andy x

HI Andy

I'll be thinking of you and keeping everything crossed making typing very difficult!

I'll check later to see how you are. I have to log off now as I'm at work and my lunch break is over.

Try not to worry

Marion x

Th Marion my appt is at 3pm will let you know later. x

Hi Zacker.

Hope you get the best results that you want. I being at the end of all this treatment had numerous operations and are free of throat cancer for 2 years, I went through all the same things that you and all people like us are feeling, treatment is a lot better than it used to be, I read the post from luckyus but dont know what problem her husband has.

As you know my cancer was T4 but I had a good surgeon as it is he has just retired, I must have been to much for him (joke).

I will be thinking about you and all the people that come on here. let me know what they say.

Regards

Joeninty.

Hope all went as good as it can do for you today and your fears were wrong thinking of you

Hi Joeninty

My husband has T1 of the left vocal cord we found out early this month he is going in for laser treatment. soon.we are still in the shock stage at the moment. again thank you for all you have wrote. i hope we dont walk down the full road that you have been down but i realise we are on the same path with our fingers crossed. not sure there is anything else to say yet thanks

Lucky Us (yer Right)

Hi Luckyus.

You dont say how old your husband is, I am 66 now I started when I was 64 with a sore throat, mine started on the left then I was unlucky it started on the right. I had radio for 6 weeks but it didnt seem to help, I wont go into anymore. I have met a few people in the hospital that have had different stages of this type of cancer and have had treatment and everything has turned out allright. have you talked about this with your husband, or is he the type like me that wouldnt talk about it.

There is a lot of people on this site that will help with blogs on here and offer support for you both if need be. the laser is not that bad I had it, nothing to worry about . if you want to let me know if you would like anymore info I will look out for your reply.

Dont worry to much it will get better.

Michael.

Hi Marion,

Well its mixed news. They have found a small lesion under the lasered tissue which my consultant say's is behaving very much like cancer although at a very early stage, it looks like something that could in the future become aggressive and he could laser it but there is no guarantee it won't come back and continued lasering will make my voice worse. So he wants to give me a 6 week course of RT which he says will clear it all up once and for all. Its not the news I wanted but I'm relieved that its completely localised and all the other scans, neck, chest etc are clear.

He also said that I would only need the RT in a very small area of the larynx so the side effects will not be as bad as I thought, eg, lack of saliva, swallowing etc, although I'm sure its not going to be easy but if this is what it takes to beat this once and for all then i'm prepared to go through with it. Its strange I almost feel relieved like chris did when he was told as this has gone on so long that I am so glad there is a good chance I can get rid of it.

Thanks so much for your support and thoughts today, I know we havent met but you feel like a real friend and it buoyed me up to know you were thinking about me, so thanks for that. There's lots of preparation as you know so I think it will be 3 weeks ago before I start so will keep you up to date on how I get on. Thanks again.

Andy xx

Hi thanks for your kind message its good and bad news as you will see from my post to marion. Will keep you up to date on my progress. Hope your not reading this and thinking oh god all this is going to happen to us as I'm sure it won't.I just think i've been unlucky in terms of the laser treatment not working and remember everyone responds differently to treatment. I'm sure your husband will be fine with laser alone. All the best for his treatment and keep us posted on how he is getting on.

Best Wishes to you both

Andy

HI Joeninty thanks for your message. Hope all is good with you.