My dad just had a mandiblectomy and fibula free flap reconstruction last month in Boston. It was certainly very difficult to go through, but something necessary. You can do it! Dad had a trach and a feeding tube for almost the duration of his stay, which was 8 days. They advised us to plan for a 14 day stay if all went well. I would suggest you request pen and paper to communicate. Dad signs quite well, as he works with mentally disabled adults, but none of his nurses knew ASL. Having us nearby to translate was good. It was really hard for me to see my dad there, and I'm 32. He had tubes all over and the trach was hard for him. Dad said he didn't have much pain after the 3rd day. He liked getting cool flushes through his ng tube. He said it helped his comfort level. He was pretty goshed darned bored when he didn't have people taking blood or clearing his drains. He couldn't see very well after surgery, so reading was out. They didn't allow him to have a tv in the intermediate care unit he was in for the first few days, so that was out. We did bring an IPod with music, which he liked, and a laptop to show him photos of his grandkids and the cat back home. They let us video chat with the grandkids, which was nice. Dad was in a chair 2 days after surgery and was walking with a walker soon after. He graduated from the walker to a cane before he left. He's now been home for almost 3 weeks and is still using his cane, but eating soft foods which are easy to swallow with minimal chewing. He likes the Glucerna shakes the nutritionist recommended, and the Juven theraputic drink they let us try. Our nutritionist was able to give lots of coupons and ideas to take home.

Best of luck to you!