SELINSGROVE —
For nearly a year before she found the lesion on her tongue, Pamela Dixon often experienced pain whenever she ate or drink.
“One time I took a sip of Pepsi and the carbonation just put me through the roof. It was excruciating, like razor blades on my tongue,” the Selinsgrove woman recalled. “It got to the point where I couldn’t eat a salad.”
Despite working in the medical field, Dixon, then 28, didn’t act quickly and dismissed the pain.
“I thought it couldn’t be cancer because it doesn’t hurt,” she said with a rueful smile.
Then she spotted a small lesion on the left side of her tongue. A biopsy in September 2006 confirmed it was, in fact, cancerous.
A year after undergoing radiation and partial removal of her tongue, the cancer spread to her neck and lymph nodes requiring chemotherapy and more surgery to remove her lower jaw bone which had been damaged by radiation treatments.
Risky behaviors
Dixon didn’t think she was at risk for the disease due to her age, even though she had smoked about a pack of cigarettes a day for 10 years.
While a majority of the 100,000 newly diagnosed oral cancers each year involve men 50 years of age and older who have smoked or chewed tobacco and drink alcohol, younger people are also at risk, said board-certified hematologist and medical oncologist Rajiv Panikkar, M.D., from Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.
“Someone who’s only smoked a few years may still be susceptible to the carcinogens,” he said.
Tobacco and alcohol use are the primary causes of oral cavity and head and neck cancers, but Panikkar said recent studies are linking the human papillomavirus (HPV) to certain types of oral cancer in patients under 40.
In addition to avoiding tobacco and alcohol and recommending HPV vaccinations for both women and men, Panikkar said regular dental check-ups and healthy dental and eating habits are good preventative measures.
Dixon did not visit a dentist regularly for years before her diagnosis.
She’s not sure what caused her cancer, but concedes “smoking didn’t help.”
An aggressive cancer
The wife of David Dixon and mother of 6-year-old Ashton and 13-year-old stepson Dominic, Dixon has had health problems in the past, including Type 1 diabetes.
She had been working several years as a medical assistant at the Family Practice Center in Watsontown when she was diagnosed with oral cancer in September 2006. In less than a month, a quarter of her tongue was removed and radiation treatments followed.
The cancer was aggressive, and on Dec. 1, 2007, Dixon awoke with a swollen neck.
“I panicked, but there was much worse news to come,” she said.
The surgeon found the cancer had spread into her lymph nodes and she underwent chemotherapy treatments.
Due to radiation, her jawbone had deteriorated and a portion was removed last October and reconstructed with bone, muscle and soft tissue removed from her left calf.
The surgery left Dixon with deep scars on her neck and a deep gratitude for life.
Although she still has difficulty eating and drinking and now speaks with a lisp due to the removal of a portion of her tongue and lower jaw, the 32-year-old says, “I’m a stronger person. I found a voice I didn’t know I had.”
Life
Related Photos
-
Clockwise from front left are Dominic, David, Pamela and Ashton Dixon, of Selinsgrove. Craig Urey
A battle with cancer builds family strength
- Life
-
-
Creative ways to use Easter leftovers
MOUNT PLEASANT MILLS -- What to do with leftover ham and hardboiled eggs? Here are some recipes from cookbook collector Connie Burge’s collection, as well as her well-loved macaroni and cheese casserole dish.
-
Valley experts differ on ideas for job creation
SUNBURY — When President Barack Obama gives his jobs speech Thursday night before Congress and a nation facing a 9.1 unemployment rate, he should act to lower the minimum wage and taxes, target government investments wisely, spend on long-lasting projects, or cut spending, reduce regulations and trim the size of Washington, Valley experts suggested.
-
Carbs under control
Parents with a child who has Type 1 diabetes sometimes find it difficult to let go of the important responsibility to constantly check insulin levels. Just ask Doreen Giordani, of Sunbury.
-
After the pounds come off
Bariatric surgery offers those who are 100-plus-pounds overweight a viable option for reclaiming their lives, a physician at Geisinger Medical Center noted.
-
Accreditation awarded to hospital
Sunbury Community Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care and safety in hospitals.
-
16 years old and still growing
The more things change the more they stay the same. That's what Dr. Michael Ryan, director of pediatrics at Janet Weis Children's Hospital, in Danville, said, as he discussed the 16 year anniversary of the facility.
-
Americans turn to technology to control impulses
NEW YORK — Dan Nainan can't trust himself to work at his computer without clicking on distractions, so he uses an Internet-blocking program to shut down his Web access twice a day. "I'm sorry, but try as I might, I could never, ever do this on my own," said the New York City comedian who's struggling to finish a book. "I wish I could, but I just don't have the discipline."
-
Some babyproofing basics for the new year
Babies and toddlers are curious creatures. Something captures their attention — a stuffed animal, a shiny object or a noisy rattle — and they're going after it. Just make sure they aren't chasing a teddy bear on top of a dresser, the blade of a knife or a pill bottle.
-
Texts, Web really do allow Santa to be everywhere
PHILADELPHIA — He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, and he knows how many followers you have on Twitter.
-
In tough economy, Santas are suffering
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Craig McTavish — a.k.a. Santa — has the beard. He has the belly. He even has a few tricks up his sleeve, like pulling up to parties on his Harley-Davidson in full Kris Kringle garb. But there's one thing he doesn't have: work.
- More Life Headlines
-
Creative ways to use Easter leftovers
