Hi there, this is my first post although I have been reading others for a while and found them very useful.

My background - I am 30, female, Irish, but living in Luxembourg since 2001. I had tongue cancer last year.

I was very relieved to find this site a few months back as it explains everything clearly in english. As many of the healthcare professionals I am dealing with communicate with me through french (one of the working languages here in Luxembourg but not my first language), every now and then I get a little confused as to what exactly is going on/what the exact terms are for the treatment/condition. It also proved more than a bit awkward after the initial surgery when I had difficulty speaking and did not have a great level of french. Thankfully my french has improved in leaps and bounds since then, especially my medical vocabulary!

My treatment story:
In Jan 06 I had a small cancer on the left side of the tongue and had 1/3 of the tongue removed, plus nodes from both sides of the neck which luckily turned out to be negative. I had the surgery here in Luxembourg as the facilities are great, medical care is heavily subsidised by the state and I didn't have any private health insurance (I do now!)

After some worrying results from follow up checks I was advised to have brachitherapy (can't spell it but means radioactive implants in the tongue), which I had for a week in France in April 06. Apart from the nasty initial reaction and recovery period (2 months), all was well and I went back to work.

I then developed another ulcer in the same place in November 06. This was the lowest point for me as I had to wait a few weeks for a second opinion, some tests and finally confirmation of what it was. I became quite stressed as I had a good idea of what I might have to go through if it were cancerous. It was definitely a case of knowing too much!

Luckily it was only a normal ulcer that couldn't heal itself, so now I am having HBO treatment. I am at session 15 of 50 to 60. I can see some improvement already, and am very pleased to have a treatment that doesn't make me feel ill.

My question is about numbness in the neck after surgery. At the moment I have very little feeling between the two scar lines (most of the front of my throat is numb). I know its a very small issue ideed but I was wondering if anyone knows if it improve further or will it stay like this? My doctor seems to think its as good as its going to get.