Oral cancer survivor finds her strength

作为一名注册护士，阿沙班达里熟悉癌症 - 甚至不太常见的癌症类型，如oral cancer。But she never believed she’d receive her own diagnosis, even when she first noticed the sore on her lower gum – anoral cancer symptom。即使当疼痛开始几周后成长。而且即使在口腔外科医生采取了活检，三天后给了她这个消息，这是癌症。

“I was so devastated,” Asha says, remembering her diagnosis at age 54. “I ate right. I exercised. I didn’t smoke. I was healthy. I didn’t think I fit the profile of a cancer patient.”

Asha came toMD安德森第二意见，并会见了兰德尔·韦伯，医学博士他进行了一系列的检查，X光片，验血和CT扫描。他证实了这一消息阿莎拒绝相信：她有牙龈鳞状细胞癌，一种口腔癌。但他也给了她希望。

“我记得它到底，”她说。“博士韦伯打电话给我，他说，“好消息是，我们要治好你的病。”对我来说，这是很大的。”

现在在照顾MD安德森’sHead and Neck team, Asha gained a growing feeling of ease. She was scared, but she knew her multidisciplinary team would take care of her.

接受口腔癌手术

阿莎的口腔癌手术定于2015年9月25日 - 短短一个月她诊断后。医生计划切除肿瘤，看看癌细胞已经扩散到任何附近的淋巴结，但要做到这一点，他们将需要删除四个齿和阿莎的下巴的一部分。他们计划与她的腓骨，大骨在她的腿的一部分来取代它，并从她采取了植皮的左大腿。

It was a complicated procedure, but Asha knew that her care team, led by Dr. Weber and马修Hanasono，医学博士，would succeed.

“They put me at ease,” Asha says.

手术要花好几个小时。同时，阿莎的家族聚集在候车室 - 他们的所有15个，焦虑和担心。每隔几个小时，手术团队的成员将提供一个更新阿莎的家庭。由于手术的推移，这个消息变得越来越好，而他们的反应从救济增长到喜悦。阿莎的家庭让出震耳的欢呼声，当他们得知癌细胞已经扩散不会和现有的癌细胞已被删除。阿莎仍然从麻醉昏迷，有很长的路的她提前复苏，但现在她是无癌。

从手术阿莎的恢复

今天,只有阿亚莎的手术疤痕的迹象n her neck and two large scars on her left leg and left thigh. But it didn’t start that way. After the surgery, Asha spent one night in the intensive care unit, as planned, then moved to a hospital room. Her face was swollen, and she had to have a tracheotomy to help her breathe and a feeding tube to help her get the nutrients her body needed.

Physical therapists and speech pathologists visited Asha often. Immediately following the surgery, Asha couldn’t talk. The speech pathologists reminded Asha to roll her tongue and try to form words. By the end of the week, she had found her voice again. The physical therapists worked with her to improve her leg strength and help her walk again.

Asha stayed in the hospital a little longer than expected because she developed an infection, but was treated and released after 10 days.

“我很伤心告别我所有的护士，”她说。

什么是可能一个提醒

Asha continued to see improvements once she returned home. After five weeks, her feeding tube was removed. After six weeks, she was back at work.

She attributes her success to a few factors: the support of her loving family, the exercises she did before and after surgery, her own determination and her faith in her care team.

“They did 200% more than I ever expected,” Asha says.

现在阿莎返回MD安德森一年扫描两次。她希望她的故事表演初诊患者什么是可能的。她的建议？“保持坚强，呆在一起，”她说。“而保持积极的态度。”

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