Coping With Bell's PalsyThis section is a place to share stories about Coping With Bell's Palsy Below are entries of those who have already shared their stories. We hope that you find their experiences helpful to your own situation. You may also Help others by sharing your story. To quickly access health information from your website's browser, download Skin Cancer and Bell’s Palsy I’m writing about my 69-year old dad. His bell’s palsy came upon him suddenly a week ago today. I believe his is caused by a tumor. You see, he was diagnosed with skin cancer (squamous cell) on his bottom lip a few years ago. Not uncommon for a person that age with fair skin. Well, he kept putting off treatment because he didn’t think it was that urgent. He finally did have it removed. After that surgery, he thought it was over and did not do any follow up, until the pain came back. They ended up having to take a v-shaped chunk out of his lip down to his chin. This time they followed up with radiation. Again, they thought they got it all. Several months later, his glands were swollen, hard and painful, and it was getting hard to swallow. To make a long story short, he subsequently had two major surgeries where they removed a portion of his jaw, tongue, etc. He is not able to swallow anything, not even saliva, so he receives all of his nutrition and pain medication through a g-tube inserted into his stomach. It is next to impossible to understand him when he speaks, so he communicates using a white board. His cancer has moved on to his carotid artery, as you can imagine a very difficult area to treat, and his jaw pain is again increasing even after this last major surgery in early March. He’s in a lot of pain all the time. I don’t believe the doctors will be able to stop this now very aggressive cancer. The reason I’m writing these things is to encourage everyone, if you have a new or unusual spot on your skin, do not delay. Have it checked out by your physician immediately AND follow up. As I understand it, if treated early, this type of skin cancer has a very high success rate. Time is not on your side. If my dad had acted earlier with proper follow up, I believe he’d be cancer free today. Comments
May 2007
|
||||
The submissions from our site visitors do not reflect the opinion of Healthcommunities.com, Inc. (HC). The Content of HC's sites is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. HC does not provide medical advice. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you've read on an HC website. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider regarding any medical question or condition. (See also: Website Disclaimer)
|
