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| Date Entered at Shared Experience: 04/29/2001 |
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THROAT |
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Well, Here goes. Five years ago at the age of 37 and single I was on a cruise with a few friends and I started losing my voice but I didn't think it was anything because I happen to be a person who uses his voice alot because I am in sales and I am also a Magician. So after the trip I went to an Ear Nose & Throat doctor at NYU Medical Canter in New York City and he put a camera in my nose and into my throat and saw a polyp on my right vocal cord. He thought it was nothing until the byopsy came back that I had Squamous Cell Carcenoma (The Big "C"). They told me that since it was stage 1 with 30 radiation treatments I would be cancer free. All I remember was sitting every day crying and counting down the days because in throat cancer radiation you have tremendous swallowing problems. All I remember my doctor saying is the pain is going to get worse before getting better. Not having a choice I made it through and was told to go for regular check ups every 3 months for the first 5 years which is the critical part. Well, after 4 1/2 years later at the age of 41 in June of 2000 my doctor saw another tumor on my right vocal cord and again thought it was nothing until the biopsy came back to everyone suprise it was the "Big C" again. I and my family was shocked. The doctor at NYU Medical Center told me that the tumor was from being radiated which led to this secondary tumor. I had to have a Partial Laryngectomy which is the removal of one vocal cord and half my voice box. Since I already had radiation it wouldn't work again. I ended up in the greatest doctors hands at Sloan Kettering Hospital by the name of Dr.Jatin Shah. I was there for the surgery July 10, 2000 for 9 days. Boy was it hell. I had a feeding tube in my nose to my stomach but the hardest thing to get through was having a trach tube to breathe. All I remember was having to suction out my trach so I wouldn't get an infection in my lungs every 15 minutes for the first 3 days and not sleeping a wink. All I kept asking is "WHY ME". Well, I made it thanks to my mother being there every waking moment until it was time to sleep which was very little. I now have a low raspy hoarse Mafia voice which I have to live with. But at least I am O.K. for now. |
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No Chemo at all but 30 treatments of Radiation April 1996 |
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Partial Laryngectomy July 2000 |
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I did a lot of research about my surgery on the internet. |
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MY PRAYERS ARE OUT HERE FOR EVERYONE BECAUSE NO ONE KNOWS HOW IT FEELS UNLESS YOU ARE A SURVIVOR. THE SERENITY PRAYER: God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The Courage to change the things I can and The Wisdom to know the difference. |
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