I was debating if I was going to write about this. I felt the need because since I had cancer removal surgery Oct. 25, 2021, I have met so many people who are cancer survivors! And still so many who are still going through treatment or side effects from surgery/chemo/radiation. I am not going to lie, this past Tuesday was weird for me. I was reliving the whole ordeal from one year ago.

My tonsil cancer surgery and radical neck dissection surgery recovery was a big challenge. Besides losing 23 pounds, the first post-op month and palsy of my left side trapezius muscle, at least for 6 months post op, waking up choking many times in the middle of the night and not able to eat without choking was probably the scariest. However, I overcame and was very determent to kick the cancer. To all the survivors out there, I feel you. To all the families who are seeing their loved ones go through cancer surgery and/or treatment, I hear you. We all are at risk to get cancer and of course some more than others.

Certain lifestyles can increase that risk more than others, but cancer does not discriminate. But if you remember one thing from this article, cancer hates exercise and loves sugar. When I found out I had metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in my neck lymph node, we had to figure out where it started. A PET scan was ordered. PET scan stands for Positron Emission Tomography. To me it looks like a CAT scan and MRI machine had a baby! Radiotracers are injected into the blood stream, and special cameras in a PET scan can detect cancer cells inside the internal tissues and organs. After they checked some other important readings such as sugar level in my blood, I had to wait an hour after the injection before the actual procedure of the PET scan (PET scan itself only lasted about 11 minutes).

The most common form that’s injected is 18F-FDG which is a radioactively labeled form of glucose. Sugar — cancer loves sugar! So I was pretty much injected with radioactive sugar. They wait an hour to give the cancer cells time to gobble up the radioactive sugar. The scan will show different changes in color and see where the cancer is located in the body. This is how we found out my cancer originated in my left tonsil. Since my surgery, my taste has changed tremendously and so has my diet. Like I told my surgeon, I used to be able to eat, talk and work all at the same time. Of course that was a bad habit, and now I must eat slowly and can’t talk during, which is truly better for me. And I eat many foods because I know I need them. Some sugary foods taste better but I truly limit them. Not just because cancer loves sugar, I don’t feel good when I eat too many simple sugars.

All in all, I can’t complain and my doctor and PA are still hopeful that my good taste can still return. Exercise, healthy foods (which can taste very good), positive attitude, an amazing support system, extra shout out to my hubby Kevin, faith and determination are great “medicine” to any ailment. October is breast cancer awareness month, and yes, men can get breast cancer too. Be proactive, get screened when recommended and trust your team of doctors on your treatment plan. And as my mom would say (who died of melanoma in November 2017) at one point you get old enough that you will get something! She was 83 when she died of cancer. And my dad was 85 when he died of cancer this past March. It’s better knowing than to pretend it’s not happening.

Ester H. Marsh is a head and neck cancer survivor and health and fitness director of the J.F. Hurley YMCA.