Hello everyone,
It's been 2 weeks since the surgery and I seem to be on the mend. The surgeon says he did get everything and with clear margins in the area of the tumor. He did say that one of the main nerves for the tongue was removed just to be on the safe side, as it was to close to the area of the tumor. They seemed to be very surprised with my recovery, not sure why. I think it helps when you hate hospitals. Don't get me wrong the Staff was wonderful, but I hate everything else about being there. I was out of ICU the day after surgery. The tract was changed to one that allowed me to talk. Day 2 they removed it completely so I could eat and drink. Day 4 they let me go home.....yaaaaaaaaaaaah. Know for those of you who have had this procedure done I have a question. This morning while doing my morning dressing changes and clean up I noticed that my flap seems to be no longer connected at the tip. It now looks like I have a forked tongue. Is this a concern or am I just going to be part lizard....HA.HA.HA. Also, the color of the flap resemble that of. well I guess boiled meat. Is this normal and will it change in time? It seems to be the same color as it was the 1st day I say it, but I thought it would start looking more pink by now.
I was also reading and catching up on the posts from the past couple of weeks. There was a discussion about PEG and if someone should have it put in or not. I am glad I have mine and wish I would of had it in 7 years ago during radiation. Not only for feeding but also for medication that can be impossible to swallow at times. I also may have been able to control the weight loss a bit better than it was. I am 5' 11" tall and at the start of radiation weighed in at 220lbs. By the end of 6 weeks of treatment I had lost some weight which is normal. However, it continued over the following four months and I ended up at 110lbs and back in the hospital with meningitis and anorexia. Get PEG put in she is your friend.
David