I'm not sure why you can't eat or drink yet. I suppose as you say the wounds are slowly healing. To me it seems like a healthy sign that you want to eat. When do you see the doctors again to get a clear signal about swallowing etc?

I know the pain of seeing others eat with relish. I can taste things perfectly now but can eat only with difficulty. Soft foods go down a treat but I'd love a burger or even a piece of toast. However, MOST of the time one adjusts to the new normal and there are only flickers of envy. And in your case, you will probably eat again very soon.

Do you have trismus or limited mouth opening? If so, have you been given exercises for this? This can affect eating in the future.

Great to hear that you have no nodal involvement or metastases. If it is Stage 3, I guess the tumour was quite big. Whatever the reason for the rads and chemo, it's probably a very good one. Stamping out any microscopic cancer cells now will pay off in the future.

All the best!!!