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 lucky us

It did make me laugh when i realised what i had typed,I think that would be taking positive thinking a step to far.The wigs of many colours does sound like a good idea but unfortunately for me my head is to big and i can never get one to fit but i have cornered the market on silk scarves.My newphew has suggested i shold paint a smiley face on the bald bit i have where the hair wont grow back which would be another solution.

Hi Andy

Will keep my fingers (and everything else) that you also get some good news tomorrow i am so pleased you all had a good night makes me smile when i think what you have all been through and you say "didnt stop talking" that is so so good.

All the best for Wednesday

Luckyus

Hi Grumpy

My family are always telling me i have a big head, but i love the thought of drawing a smily face on any bald patches.

best wishes and keep in touch

Luckyus

Hi Luckyus

I've just realised that I didn't reply to you - sorry!

Hope the x-ray came back all clear - hopefully no news is good news and they would normally be in touch quite quickly.  Let us know how he gets on.

It's my next appointment on Wednesday and I'm not really looking forward to it as I have been hoarse for weeks now but have resisted bringing forward my appointment as I normally do.  Hopefully I will get the same result as I have done in the past nearly 4 years - that all is OK.

Take care.

Marion x

Hi Marion

Got a letter this week to say Xrays were clear ( thank goodness)

I really hope your appointment went ok and you got good results. I hope your voice has returned and you are feeling better. My fingers and toes are crossed for you

Luckyus x

Hi Luckyus

I'm so glad your husband's X-Ray results were clear - another weight off your minds.

My appointment was fine thanks (phew).  My consultant wants me to go to cancer survivor (head and neck) group therpy once a month as I'm finding it hard to move on.  He said he wants to discharge me next year at my 5 year appointment but he knows I will keep coming back for reassurance!  I constantly worry about the cancer coming back and I obviously want to be happy in life without this dark cloud looming over my head and this worry everytime my voice is hoarse.  He said my voice will probably get worse as I get older bearing in mind wear and tear and the damage already caused by radiotherapy.  I just need to look after it more and stop raising my voice over background noise - which is very hard when you're in a noisy environment.

Anyway, I'm relieved for now and I start my group therapy on 12 July.

Hope your husband continues to be healthy and will keep an eye out for your posts.

Love Marion x

Hi Marion

I am so pleased you got the all clear again (it has been hard these past few days eating and walking with my fingers and toes crossed xx). I think unless you have truely been affected by Cancer you can understand the fear that every appointment, cough,or sore throat brings.  Good luck with your therepy but i think time will be the only cure, remember im always at the end of a computer (well not always but often).

Such good news so pleased for you

Luckyus

Hi Marion,

Great news on your last appointment and I think the fact your ocnsultant wants to release you next year must mean he's very confident your near being cured. I think the group therapy is a great idea it will help you put things into perspective and help manage your worry as I know exactly where your coming from, the worry never really goes away but I do think now your in year 4 post treatment you can start to let your self off the hook a bit!! as far as worrying goes

I had my check up with Rt consultant today and he had a look down and its all clear which was a relief although on this occasion I felt quite relaxed about it, don't ask me why??

He says theres still swelling there and that the edges of the vocal chords are slightly rough from the treatment and lasering and that in time they should heal and get smoother which will improve my voice, this could take another 18 months. However i'm inclined to think this is as good as its going to get and they are perhaps being a bit optimistic, but hey I can live with it and most days am able to communicate ok which was my main worry and off course getting rid of the cancer.

We must get together again soon, havent contacted chris as I didnt want to bother him but guess he will get in touch if he has any news.

Anyway good luck with the group therapy and let me know how you get on and try not to worry, your almost there!!

Speak soon.

Andy x

Hi Lucky Us,

Great news on your husbands results, you must be relieved. Sounds like he's doing really well and so good that he hasn't had to have RT or any more lasering, they must have got it v early. Hopefully things will stay this way. Well done!!

Andy x

hi zarker i can see from your posts that you had t 1 cancer of the vocal chord and had laser for it etc my husband had laser on his t1 about 2 months ago and we went back for a check up last week and they found a lesion on it  so we now need to go back in for more laser and a biopsy just in case its cancer my husband and my self are scared in case its back! how many times did you have laser before they decided on rt?

hi zarker i can see from your posts that you had t 1 cancer of the vocal chord and had laser for it etc my husband had laser on his t1 about 2 months ago and we went back for a check up last week and they found a lesion on it  so we now need to go back in for more laser and a biopsy just in case its cancer my husband and my self are scared in case its back! how many times did you have laser before they decided on rt?

Hi just bumping you back up to the top i see Zarker has not been on for a little while but hopefully he will see your question soon

Luckyus

thanks lucky us hope all ok xx

Hi there.

Sorry to hear about your husband. As you will have read from my posts I was diognosed wirh t1 on the left vocal chord in aug 2009, a week later they lasered it and when I had my next check up after this they told me it was all clear and the lasering had done the trick. I was  obviously relieved and my voice improved and I assumed that was end of the problem.

When I had my next check up a month later the consultant said it looked red and inflamed and he was not happy with how it looked and would keep an eye on it for another few months. The next month I went back and it was still the same so I was taken in for more laser and biopsys ( nov 09 ) which revealed it was still there so they did more lasering. Again for a few months all was fine until the following apr 2010 when he said it looked inflammed again and if it didnt improve he would need to laser again and do more biopsys, during this time my voice got worse so I suspected it had come back.

In sept 2010 I had more laser and biopsys which revealed it had come back and it was t2 although still very early and only on the surface. This was when I was told that more lasering would permantly damage my vocal chord and that radiotherapy would be needed to clear it once and for all. I had the radiotherapy in nov 09 and completed it in jan 11 and while it was unpleasant it seems to have cleared it up and each monthly exam i've had since looked clear and normal. My voice varys a lot some days its good others bad, I think this is the effect of the RT and lasering but I have been told this will improve over time.

This is my story but remember we are all different and you may find that your husband only needs 1 or 2 laser procedures and that may do the trick as it has with lucky us ( aptly named) and it may not have even come back so try not to get too worried ( easier said than done!) until you know more. The good thing for you is that it is only t1 which is very early and called cancer in situ which is when the cells are just changing, so this will be able to be sorted its just it can be more complicated as you can see from my story. Hope this is of some help and if you need any more help just ask. Have a read through the posts if they are not too boring!! As all our storys and details are there. Good luck for your husband and his results.

Best Wishes Andy (zarker)

andy(zarker)

thank you very much for answering me it has brought me some comfort i know i shouldnt worry but like you said easier said than done.

i am now just going to wait until the 22nd aug for him to have the laser and then the results, (soonest th consultant can do it as on hols).

if all well im going to b ook a week away and chill.

thanks again

lorna wales

Hi Lorna

It's been a while since I logged in but just wanted to reiterate what Andy's said.  If you read Andy's thread from the beginning you will hopefully get a lot of answers about treatment etc as a few of us have been sharing experiences for a couple of years now.

I had laryngeal cancer in 2007, so it's almost at my 4 year anniversary and I'm happy to say that I still have a voice and everything is fine (touch wood).  I was being monitored for 4 years before I was actually diagnosed a T2-3.  During the 4 years prior to diagnosis I had laser treatment around 3 times and probably had about 9 biopsies taken over the years.  My consultant said at the time it may never get to the cancer stage and clear up on its own so don't worry that it automatically means cancer!

Please let us know how your husband gets on and if there's anything you want to ask in the meantime, then please ask.

Good luck and best wishes.

Marion x

thanks very much

they already said it was t 1 cancer last time around but i think since been on this forum its made me realise and answered a lot of my questions relating to my worries.

the only slight worry ive now got is the small nodule they said he had in his lung? anybody out there had a simiolar result would be grateful for any comments? they said it was small and not to worry but thats not so easy as ive also got an uncle who has undergone chemo and now starting rt on the 8th for lung cancer and has no family but us so i am also taking him on occassion to rt never mind the future can only get better

thanks xxx

Hi all

Just a quick up date my husband was back at clinic yesterday (3rd August) and we were lucky enough to get another all clear i still feel so blessed. we are always so scared that we wont  be so lucky. Have the all clear for another 3 months ten start all over again. on a good note at least we got the all clear to fly next year yeh bring it on.

Good luck to all those out there still fighting this terible disease.

Luckyus xx

Hi lucky us so glad to hear your news. I know what it's like when it's time for the check up we all get worried but it's  always such a relief when the news is good . You must be really pleased.

Hi Andy

Thanks so much yes i am so relieved and pleased he got the ok next stage is to try and get travel insurance wish me luck. I truely hope your journey continues to be all positive news..

Best wishes

Andrea

Hi Lucky us.

Nice to see that your husband has got the all clear again, I know how he feels, I went for my 4 month one and got the all clear again, not bad after 3 years since op.

About holiday insurance, I know they charge more for cancer patients I have a list off mcmillan that give address for companys that deal in cancer insurance.

I wanted insurance for a 5 day hoilday in June and I was told to try the post office, you phone them up on the number on there holiday form and answer question about the cancer and treatment.

As I am not having treatment or going into hospital, they told me I could insure with them, I took it out and it was a lot cheaper than other quotes I had got.

Hope this might help.

Joeninty.