I had a forearm free flap too, and it took well. It was an 11-hr surgery altogether between the ENT and the plastic surgeon. One of the blood vessels was too tight, and the plastic surgeon had to take me back in the following day to loosen up the vessel and put a few new ones in, just in case, but the rest was fine. I was reading surgical notes, and was blown away by what the doctors can do.

The aftermath of the surgery is physically draining. The flap is usually several times the size it needs to be, and eventually it will shrink down to the normal size, but in the meantime, you will be unable to speak and probably even close your mouth. So be ready with notepads and pencils or some sort of a PDA or laptop where you can type up whatever you need to say. The good news that it heals well and you'll be amazed at how much progress you'll make in just a few weeks.

It's hard. But we've all been through so much, it feels like there's very little we cannot handle. I just wish that you didn't have to go through it.

We're all pulling for you.