It seems so strange to me that doctors are not emphasizing stretching exercises. It seems that would be a must in the instructions given following this type of surgery. Yes, my oncologist does want me to do the exercises, he was the first one to get right on this, otherwise I might have been one of those not able to get the obturator out! By the time I saw him it was getting to that point and I was in panic! He delayed my radiation by two weeks so that I could get it open far enough for a tongue guard during radiation. I'm with you about how rare this type of surgery is, I couldn't find anyone else on here with similar issues. Just out of interest did either one of you have any previous thyroid diagnosis or treatment?