STAGE III SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA | TONGUE CANCER
“I honestly feel that the treatments I'd been receiving at Agape, along with the positive reinforcements, kept my body strong to not only get through the surgery, but that it all helped in keeping the cancer more localized, rather from it spreading further. I am so grateful to Dr. Huang and the staff at Agape for being part of that healing process for me during my scary journey.”
Around the middle of April 2018, I had been experiencing an increase in mental and physical fatigue, and I attributed it partly to my busy workload, but also to the Fibromyalgia I had been diagnosed with more than twenty-one years ago. Fibromyalgia, in some sense, if any medical professional can make, is a syndrome consisting of chronic pain throughout the body, nerve problems, mental distress, fatigue, brain fog, muscle stiffness and a whole other giant list of not-so-fun symptoms that seem to be treated mainly with the occasional anti-depressant. (My fellow Fibromyalgia friends know of this all too well.) I considered this to be one of my seasonal “flare-up,” as I had grown to call them, but I was concerned that this time around seemed to be causing me more fatigue than usual. In recent years, I had also been tested twice for Lupus, but, thankfully, both tests were negative, and I had also been told that I had both Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as well as Epstein-Barr Virus. I speculated that the latter were also contributing to my increased fatigue, but I really felt I needed to seek out medical treatment to see if it would help ease some of my symptoms.
Never a big fan of taking medications, whether over-the counter or prescribed, as these would often make me feel worse, I believed in more holistic approach to healing. For this flare-up, I felt compelled to do some research via the Internet for doctors who were familiar with treating Fibromyalgia, and I came across a website for Dr. Kevin Huang and Agape Natural Health (“Agape”). After reading many of the testimonials on the website for Agape, especially the ones by people who got relief for Fibromyalgia, I became filled with hope that maybe acupuncture was exactly what I needed, and so I immediately made an appointment with Agape for the following week.
Coincidentally, during the same time, one of the symptoms I had been suffering from was a strange ulcer on my tongue. I recall noticing the ulcer shortly after eating some walnuts one day while I was at work, and immediately after eating them, I felt a pain resembling that of a bee sting on my tongue. It was incredibly odd and concerning. A few nights later, I also had bitten my tongue during the middle of one night while I was asleep, which only added to the pain of the already-developed ulcer. I had never previously been allergic to walnuts, and tongue ulcers were never something I got when I had my Fibromyalgia flare-ups, so my cause for alarm continued to escalate. For many days, I tried various things to see if the ulcer would disappear- salt water and mouth rinses, canker-sore treatments, those dreaded medications, etc.- but, absolutely nothing was helping to decrease the pain or size of the ulcer. So, during the same time frame I'd be seeing Dr. Huang at Agape, I was also already scheduled to have appointments with my regular doctor, a dentist, as well as an ENT, to determine what was going on inside my mouth.
My husband had accompanied me on most visits to Agape, including the very first one, whereupon Dr. Huang and all his staff were so friendly and welcoming. (Special side note - the doctor and the staff at Agape have continuously been warm and welcoming.) Prior to having my first acupuncture treatment, Dr. Huang consulted with my husband and I and asked all sorts of questions about my reasons for coming in. I had informed Dr. Huang of my history with Fibromyalgia and the onset of fatigue I'd been experiencing, but I also pointed out to him about the ulcer on my tongue and that I was waiting for to be seen about it by various doctors. Dr. Huang took copious notes on everything, and he looked at my tongue specifically and noted his concern that the ulcer on my tongue might, in fact, be cancerous. Of course, this caused me some further fear, but Dr. Huang made me feel at ease, in that, he had helped many patients in the past who had all different forms of cancer, and many of those people ended up being cancer-free after being treated, both with the acupuncture and modern medicine, like chemotherapy and radiation.
In conclusion of the consultation with Dr. Huang, I then had my first acupuncture treatment at Agape and remember that it was a very pleasant experience. From the nice décor of the room I was in, to the soothing music playing over the loud speaker, to hardly noticing the pins placed on my body, I felt a sense of calm. Even after the appointment was over, and throughout the day, I felt very relaxed. I especially needed this, given the increasing amount of stress I was going through, trying to resolve the ever-growing concern over my tongue. Dr. Huang also had me begin taking two different types of herbal supplements on a daily basis in order to strengthen my immune system and had suggested some food therapy. Within the first week of following this regimen, I noticed that some of my fatigue had dissipated.
Shortly thereafter, after receiving multiple opinions from multiple doctors, it was determined, in fact, that the ulcer on my tongue was State III Squamous Cell Carcinoma. At the very least, this provided me with an explanation for the onset of my incredible fatigue but also for the reason why nothing was helping to shrink the ulcer on my tongue. To say the least, I was scared to death with the diagnosis. The Big C. What did all this mean? What could the outcome be? So many unanswered questions did I have. From the third opinion I'd received from a specialist/surgeon at UCI Medical, I was told, at the very least, that I'd need in-hospital surgery to hopefully remove the cancer from my tongue. This meant having to have at least 1/3 of my tongue removed, but the surgeon explained to me that he would not truly know how much of my tongue for sure would need to be removed until the actual surgery itself. I'd also most likely have to have removal of some of my lymph nodes from my neck in the same region as the cancer on my tongue, but I wouldn't know whether I'd need chemo therapy or radiation at the time and/or following the surgery. This created a whole other gamut of fear and unanswered questions, not to mention the wreaking of more havoc and stress on my body from all the anxiety.
When my husband and I met with Dr. Huang next, we shared with him the terrifying diagnosis, and he immediately grabbed my hand and my husband's hand, and he prayed for me and asked God for help in healing me. Dr. Huang also offered further words of encouragements to help put my mind at ease. He and his staff then decided to completely change course of treatment on me to assist with the healing process and preparation of my upcoming surgery. Dr. Huang's sincerest concerns truly touched my heart.
Fast forward to September 20, 2018, when I had the intense surgery. I feel lucky and blessed to say that I only needed the 1/3 of tongue removed as my surgeon suggested at the minimum, and that the margin were clean beyond the portion removed. I also only had 19 of my lymph nodes removed from my neck and found out ten days later that the pathology reports showed that the cancer had not spread. It goes without saying that I was beyond thrilled and incredibly relieved, but mostly grateful to God and all the love and care I'd been shown by so many people around me. This, of course, included Dr. Huang and his staff, and I couldn't wait to share the amazing news with them. When I had, I was dubbed a miracle, and Dr. Huang affectionately calls me that each time he now sees me. Thank you so much, Dr. Huang.
As for any person who might read my testimonial, I'd like to say that I am a true believer in acupuncture and more natural forms of healing, like those of the herbal supplements provided by Agape. Not to say that there's not benefit to modern medicine, too, because there is, and they helped save me, too. But, I honestly feel that the treatments I'd been receiving at Agape, along with the positive reinforcements, kept my body strong to not only get through the surgery, but that it all helped in keeping the cancer more localized, rather from it spreading further. I am so grateful to Dr. Huang and the staff at Agape for being part of that healing process for me during my scary journey. To this day, I continue to come in for treatments and take the supplements, just to maintain and keep my body strong. Thanks so much, Dr. Huang and the Agape staff!!
Many Hugs, L.H., November 26, 2018 Lake Forest, CA
5/5 stars
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AGAPE STAFF AND DR. KEVIN HUANG | DEDICATED AND CARING DOCTOR | SKILLED DR WITH GOOD REPUTATION AND KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING | I'd like to say that I am a true believer in acupuncture and more natural forms of healing, like those of the herbal supplements provided by Agape. Not to say that there's not benefit to modern medicine, too, because there is, and they helped save me, too. But, I honestly feel that the treatments I'd been receiving at Agape, along with the positive reinforcements, kept my body strong to not only get through the surgery, but that it all helped in keeping the cancer more localized, rather from it spreading further. I am so grateful to Dr. Huang and the staff at Agape for being part of that healing process for me during my scary journey. To this day, I continue to come in for treatments and take the supplements, just to maintain and keep my body strong. Thanks so much, Dr. Huang and the Agape staff!!
