Tough times don’t last, tough people do

At 27, Girija had a perfect life. She was happily married and had just given birth to a baby daughter. But destiny had other plans.

Four months after her child was born, Girija noticed rashes on her tongue. Initially she ignored it, assuming it was because of ‘body heat’.

But soon, there was a lot of irritation in the tongue area and before she knew it, she was finding it difficult to eat anything spicy.

“Initially doctors attributed my tongue irritation to sharp teeth and a tooth was removed, too. But there was no improvement,” she said.

Meanwhile, it was getting difficult for Girija to eat the kind of food she was used to.

Five to six months after her symptoms first appeared, doctors finally got a biopsy done.

The result was a positive one; Girija had oral cancer. In India, an estimated 40% of all cancers are those of the head and neck region. Ten per cent of these include forms of oral cancer.

Girija’s biopsy was done at a city hospital and then she was referred to HCG for treatment. The surgery involved removal of the cancer-affected area in the mouth. This was soon followed up with three cycles (each cycle consisting of two sessions) of chemotherapy and 31 days of radiation treatment.

The cancer treatment ended almost a year ago and since then she has had to follow up with regular screenings.

“Surprisingly, Girija didn’t have any of the risks associated with head and neck cancer. She was not addicted to tobacco chewing nor was she in the fifth or sixth decade of her life,” says Dr Sridhar PS, consultant, radiation oncologist, HCG.

However, recently, there has been a shift in oral cancer trends and people between their 30s and 50s are getting affected.

Girija’s cancer was detected at its fourth stage and while Girija is disease-free now, she needs to come for regular follow ups for the rest of her life. “Chances of recurrence are high within the first two years of the disease,” he said.

Life wasn’t easy for Girija during the course of her treatment. She was mostly on a liquid diet and she was also finding it difficult to talk. “My family, including my parents, husband, four sisters and two brothers stood by me during this phase and helped me come out of it.

My daughter, who was just a baby then, was totally taken care of by my mother and sisters,” she said.

Doctors have ensured that Girija is doing well. However, she complains, “Since my disease was detected, my taste buds are not functioning. Even today, I cannot differentiate between sweet and salty food. Though my doctors have ensured that the taste buds will regenerate too, I don't know when will that happen,” she said.

Her taste buds have dried up and there will be a regeneration of new taste buds with time, explains Dr Sridhar.

Life post cancer might have a few minor hiccups but the future seems bright.