History

February 2008, Sam began to have pain over his eyes – at first, he thought it was an allergy and went to his family doctor who treated him with Flonase for sinus pressure. The pain continued and his neck muscle on the left side of his face became enlarged and his ear and jaw began to hurt. In April, as the pain worsened, he remembered that back in February he popped himself in the jaw pulling a box off the shelf and thought maybe he was injured when the box came forward faster than he anticipated, and I convinced him to see my chiropractor who adjusted his jaw which was out of place. She suggested that if it didn't improve to see his dentist to rule out “TMJ.”

As the pain persisted and worsened, Sam went to his primary care doctor on June 14th. Concerned because of swollen lymph nodes, he sent him for a CT scan, which, by some miracle he was able to have done the same day – a Saturday – even though the scheduling department was closed. The report showed a tumor at the base of Sam’s tongue and enlarged lymph nodes. Sam was then referred to an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist – Dr. Scott E. Celin.

Sam and I have a prayer request. We got some unsettling news today, June 24, 2008.

Dr. Celin performed a biopsy of the lymph nodes on the left side of Sam’s neck and the diagnosis is squamous cell carcinoma – base of tongue (BOT) cancer.