If you've just learned that you have cancer, or if you're going through treatments, or even if you've finished your treatments and wondering what the next month or years may hold, the hints on this page might prove interesting and useful to you.

I'm quickly approaching year five after my diagnosis with tongue cancer and year four after my melanoma diagnosis. Do I get nervous each time I go in for a check-up? You bet I do. But as the time distance from my initial diagnosis of tongue cancer lengthens my chances of a recurance of that cancer decreases.  As for the metastatic melanoma, that a terminal diagnosis and we continue to try and beat the statistics that predict how long I will live.

For those of you worried about your future let me point out a few of the high points of my recover to date from tongue cancer:

Eating- I can eat anything including spicy foods, but I watch out for those truffles that contain alcohol. There are times when swallowing can be difficult, but I keep trying and after a try or two I can get anything down. Swallowing my large multi-vitamins are most difficult.... so I've now switched to taking multiple small vitamins each day.  Best of all, foods taste really great. It took about 4 months after my radiation ended for the taste buds to start working again and everything tastes great.

Alcohol- I continue to abstain even though I'm still teaching the Beverage Management course at the University of New Hampshire. I've found that my sense of smell is much improved and I'll just savor the aroma of a wine or a short shot of tequila and I don't miss the buzz at all.

Work- Hey, I'm several years older than I was when I was diagnosed so it's OK to get tired. But I can still put in a 12-hour day in the office that ends with two hours of high-energy lecturing to a class of 80 seniors. As for laborious work, I can do that too. We had a garage built and I was able to more than pull my weight swinging a hammer, using a nail gun, and hauling heavy rafters.

Exercise- I keep up my daily (well almost daily) neck and arm exercises. Helps keep the neck on the side where my surgery was from tightening up. I also ride the stationary bike during the winter or outdoor bike 2-3 times each week. During the summer it's kayaking on our local lake and in the winter cross-country skiing and snow shoeing are also part of my life.

Family and Friends- They are even more important than prior to my diagnosis. They grew along with me and I'm thankful for the role that they play in my life, for how they enrich my reason for living, and for their continued concern in my recovery. My wife, Regina is constantly there to support me. My daughters Debra, Lori, and Gail along with my grandchildren Jorge, Madison, and Cheyenne offer hope for the future and reasons to hang around for years to come.

Joe