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 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 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.

Hi Joeninty

Thanks so much will give the post offfice a call all worth trying the best so far is world first travel but i am still looking

pleased all is still going so well for you too

Thanks again

Luckyus

     Hi all Apologies for hijacking your thread but i am two weeks post radiotherapy for t1 vocal, chord cancer, i am really struggling with my voice, and i know you all understand my frustration! what worries me though is that i coped really well during treatment, no problems eating or swallowing (i had 6 weeks radio) and coped on paracetamol and ibuprofen, but my voice is still getting worse, when after two weeks i was hoping it may at least show signs of adjusting a little even if not getting any better?

Hi Topstriker

as you can see my husband was lucky enough not to need radiotherapy but i know people who have so i am just bumping you back up until someone comes on that may be able to help.

Best of luck on your journey

Luckyus

Hi Luckyus,

Thanks for that, i have spoken to marion a few times before i started treatment, but they have changed things a bit on here since then, zarker is another guy i have read about a lot and seems to have had similar issues so hopefully they will be able to offer some advice!

Hi Topstriker

Sorry to hear that you are having worries about your voice.  I had the same as you after treatment - my voice was OK for a couple of weeks and then it went completely and I thought that the treatment hadn't worked!  I spoke to my oncologist at the time and she said that it was normal for that to happen as the radiotherapy continues to work for many weeks after the treatment has finished.  You may find (like Andy) that your voice might not be as good as t was before but it will get better than it it now - it's very early days for you.  My voice went back to normal after a couple of months so I was very lucky but as the years have gone by (4 years since my treatment) I find that it strains very easily and I have good days and "husky" days.

You should have a chat with your consultant/oncologist at your next appointment and hopefully they will be able to put your mind at rest.  I'm off on holiday tomorrow for 2 weeks but wish you well and I will log onto Cancer Chat when I get back so if you have any questions feel free to ask.

Love Marion x

Hi All

Glad to hear that everyone is still doing well, sorry if I haven't replied to you all but I don't log on very often these days.

Hope you all continue to keep well and "see" you in a couple of weeks - I'm off to Zante!

Andy - we'll meet up when I get back.

Love Marion x

Hi Marion

Hope you have a great holiday and for your continued good wishes

Luckyus

Hi Topstriker,

Sorry to hear you are struggling with your voice but remember this is only the beginning of a long path to recovery following treatment and you are still at the very ' early days ' stage. I finished my treatment jan 4th this year and my voice went completely from about early dec to early feb so it was at least a month after treatment  ended until I could speak and then it was still very hoarse for a good couple of months after that.

Since then I have had good weeks and bad weeks when I feel like i'm getting my old voice back and feel over the moon only to find the following week its back to sounded hoarse and scratchy which has been very frustrating but people do tell me my voice is getting stronger, so I think i am making progress.

I talk alot in my job as im a personal ttrainer so perhaps im putting more than normal strain on my voice than I should. I find that my voice has now gone deeper and don't have much higher range but my consultant tells me it will improve over time but this could take a year to 18 months.

When you have RT it makes everything swell inside as its effectively been burnt by the radiation so it means that the vocal folds are swollen and you will have edema ( water retension) in the neck and the flesh around the larynx, this will aafect your speech and its this that takes a long time to settle.

Sorry this all sounds a bit gloomy but I will be honest i've had a tough time since treatment ended as I thought my voice would come straight back as it has for some people which with me hasn't been the case. This could be because I had several biopsys done by laser which may have damaged it but my consultant says this is normal and assures me it will improve so guess I have to be patient.

its been  a real up and down journey but hopefully you will be luckier than me and find that you get your old voice back fairly quickly, the treatment affects everyone differently. Remember you are only just out of treatment so don't expect miricles straight away, try an rest it as much as possible at the moment and get lots of rest and try not to worry. As marion mentioned, take up any concerns you have with your consultant, I find making a list of questions helps.

Hope you feel better soon and don't worry your voice will return in its own time, if you have any other questions just ask.

Take Care

Andy

Well done on the marathon!!

Hi Marion and Zarker, thanks for getting back to me!

I think it has worried me so much as i coped so well during treatment so losing my voice after was a realdowner, and as you both probably know it is so frustrating! I find myself avoiding things as i know i will want to talk and you feel such a fool when its barely audible.

They gave me an app with my consultant for 6 weeks after treatment, which is on the 30th August, they also said the will /should be able to look and see if the treatment has worked? Is it that simple? they just put the camera down and see if the tumour has gone? did you know that soon as well? I am a bit reluctant to expect to be told as i do seem to get different stories from different nurses etc? I am not due to see anyone until then.

I am a postman so i do a pretty physical job, im not sure when i will be able to go back to work either, some days i feel fine, others i do feel tired, how long was it before youy went back Zarker?  And i  also  need to be able to speak to people!

I also keep having to kind off try and clear my throat  all the time, is that a common problem?

Have a great trip Marion i went there many years ago! very hot!