I had my surgery on 8/20 which went very well. They had to remove a good bit of my tongue so I ended up needing a flap, which was taken from my left forearm. The swelling was not too bad and so I was lucky to not need a trachea. My recovery was quick and I progressed well in the hospital. I had Stage 2 cancer, but my margins and nodes are clear of any cancer - this is a huge relief for us. I still have some mild dysplasia at the base of my tongue that they couldn't remove. My doctor is suggesting monitoring my tongue and holding off on any radiation treatments. I agree as I would prefer to not have to do any oral radiation due to the lifetime side effects. While I was already pretty healthy, I plan on continuing with my diet and lifestyle improvements to help keep my odds as high as possible.

Now seems like the hard part with painful hand and tongue exercises and trying to figure out how to maneuver this new tongue of mine. My doctor said it can take about 2 years before I am fully back to normal with function and speech. Overall I very pleased and grateful for the results and hopeful for a speedy recovery.