Tuesday I had an appointment with my chemo oncologist. According to the path results my squamous cell cancer is Stage Two and the surgeon got everything. There is no evidence of cancer in the jawbone, nerves, or lymph nodes; apparently the tumor was wide (35mm) but only 2mm deep (or as Lyndon put it, “You just had a bit of surface rust.” Dr. T says I don’t need chemo and he strongly doubts I need radiation, either, but I need to confirm that with my radiation oncologist next week.

Dr. T has officially recommended that I continue to recover and we monitor with scans in January and April, then another one in October, then go to yearly checkups. This is, without a doubt, the best damn early Christmas present I could have asked for. Phew.