Post-op the hardest thing to deal with is the trach -- Since I live alone, they didn't want to send me home having to deal with the trach, tube feeding, cleaning the incisions, etc., yet they they didn't want to keep me in the hospital -- Hard to find a skilled nursing facility (aka SNF or 'sniff' in the trade) with a respiratory technician, esp for only a couple of weeks on short notice -- Compromise was my sister came out to stay for a week (would have stayed longer but she had a prior commitment of importance) and the hospital trained her (and me) in the full care of trach -- We also set up for a visiting nurse paid by Medicare.

In reality, I did all the care myself, as I knew I would -- I had done so for a short period of time following my first flap, so I knew I could do it again, even though it was more intense this time because it was a total glossectomy, not just a partial like last time, with throat-cutting on side as well as in front.

From my experiences over the years, I know I recuperate much better at home on my own schedule than in hospital.

It helps that I have a food pump that I bought on EBay last time so I could set it up to pump very slowly because I was having problems taking the food in as fast as I had during- and post-radiation -- BTW, I used Nutren 2.0 (500 cal/can, by Carnation) to pack more calories in fewer cans -- I now dump two cans in the bag and take a nap while I "eat" -- The Nutren is drinkable with the addition of NesQuik chocolate drink -- Sadly, VHC is not considered a tube nutrition so isn't covered by the insurance.

Medicare also paid for the machinery to support the trach -- The mister that puts moist air in front of it to keep the secretions loose (and froze me in the process; I am particularly chilly following this surgery -- Last one was in Summer and more tolerable) -- And the suction machine (portable if need be) plus the supplies for each and for cleaning the trach including the saline 'fish' -- Trach users know what that is; they have respiratory techs creeping around the hospital at night to squirt you with fish to get you to cough up the gunk -- The suction machine is very useful but one has to take care not to damage the new flap -- Wish I'd had one post-radiation for all that thick gunk!

BTW, when you can wear stuf around your neck (prohibited at first in hospital with all the throat-cutting), be sure to get the trach straps with the Velcro fasteners rather than the ones with the cotton ties.

Dr Haakenslash, the department chair at UW Med Center who did my flaps along with the Cutthroats, is ENT and Oral Surgeon.