My doctors had a tumor board, and they still insisted on hemiglossectomy first with a free-flap transplant, neck dissection and then radiation.

It's a tough road to go down. You'll be in hell after surgery and then start to heal and then you'll be in hell again with radiation and chemo. But about a month or so after radiation, things start to get better.

I am 25 and they gave me no other option besides surgery first and mine they took the whole right half of my tongue and some of the left side so they could get clear margins.

Sometimes you don't get a choice of trach either, but you can ask and see. As of right now I am a month and a half out of radiation and almost 5 months out of surgery and I am back in school, my energy is back, but still healing from radiation and I have to go to therapy for lymph edema and my right shoulder from the neck dissection and for my left hand from the transplant. But for now they say I am cancer free. PET/CT scan is in mid october so will know more then, but so far, I feel good. Tongue still hurts when I yawn and eat and stretch my mouth, but not nearly as bad as it did before surgery.

Whatever happens, I wish you the least amount of side effects as possible and let me know if you have any other questions.

Take care