I talk for a living and my speech is important due to on the phone 8 hours a day. Since my surgery (partial glossectomy),I find if I speak longer than a few minutes with out a break my mouth hurts.
Will it get better or will have have this pain forever?

Fred....

My mouth hurt too when I talked for a long period of time. It should get better, but I do talk with a lisp the "s" and "ch". If I talk too fast my words run together I've learned to talk slower.

If I eat certain foods my tongue feels like it's twice as big, milk products.

Take care,
Connie

I guess I am just afraid if cannot talk then cannot work

I am a teacher--of music, specifically choir, voice, and general music. I expect things of my voice that few would.
I do have a slight lisp. I gather that it sounds worse to me than what it really is. I do not have the lisp when I sing. It does not hurt when I talk, and I talk or sing a lot during school hours. I have directed variety shows and musicals since getting out of treatment. But not while I was in treatment, which is where you are, correct? I think that would have been impossible for me to do. I just did not feel well enough, and I was fatigued, and when one is fatigued, it shows up in the voice. That may be why you have pain, especially after talking for hours.

At the end of radiation I tested out my singing voice and found that I had "big chunks" of pitches missing, or so it seemed, but that rapidly improved. I already had excellent technique which I had learned years ago and had repeatedly practiced.

You could certainly see a speech pathologist and get some exercises that could improve things for you. Good breathing technique can help you. I did find out recently that my larynx looks good, unharmed(videostroboscopy) even if my thyroid has taken a hit.

Best,
Anne

My surgery was three years ago and while my mouth does not hurt to talk I do have trouble with L and D. I have learned to speak slower and clearer but on the phone even when I spell L and D peope have troule understanding me (my name has both Ls and Ds in it). If I speak for a long time my mouth dries out so I've learned to be brief. I have to say I've become use to it and it doesn't bother as much as it did at first. It will get better.

I have some speech issues as well, but some days it is better than others. I agree; talking on the phone seems to be the worst.

yep, the phone is my nemesis. Had half my tongue reconstructed and my speech feels like its worlds different, but a lot of people say its not that bad. Hopefully you can take some solace in that its probably not as bad you think as well.