Sorry to hear about ur dx but glad you found this group.

I was diagnosed March 25th 2010 with stage 3 SCC right lateral tongue with possible lymph node involvement.

I had a hemiglossectomy, so they removed the whole right half of my tongue. Also had a radical neck dissection where they removed 40 lymph nodes, 1 came back positive, and had a "free-flap" transplant on skin and blood vessels from my left wrist/forearm to recreate my tongue. Plus I had a trach and ng tube, and catheter. All was done on april 13th 2010.

My surgery went for 10 hours, I didn't start waking up till maybe 27 hours after surgery and felt like a train hit me. I didn't remember i had surgery, didn't know where i was or anything. But it all came back pretty quick, like 10 mins of being awake. They wouldn't let me get out of bed the first 2 days, which is why i had the catheter in, otherwise they have you use a bedpan, which i never did, but some do.

I was in the hospital for 8 days. I was able to watch tv and use my laptop in every room i was in, as long as i was breathing ok. I was on ventilator for first 3 days, then started working off to the trach dome on the 3rd day, and 2 days before i left i was breathing pretty well with out trach dome (a little dome shaped thing that sits over trach and almost like a humidifier, pushing out warm or cold moist air, mine was always warm).

They plugged my trach day 5 and i was able to talk, but still sounded kinda garbled cuz my tongue was still pretty swollen. About a week after surgery I was talking almost as well as I am now at 6 months post treatment. Only issues i have with talking is can't say l's or r's very well and sometimes people can't understand me when i say certain things, but you shouldn't have that big of a problem cuz you are only having a partial glossectomy, which is usually about 1/4 on one side or so.

I also had to go through radiation 7 weeks after surgery due to lymph node involvement, perineural invasion and how deep in my tongue it went.

But by the time my radiation came, i was eating pretty good with no real taste issues other then i couldn't taste on the right side, because there weren't any taste buds, . Radiation is what really messes up your taste, but surgery not so bad.

I would say make sure you or have a family member bring to you after surgery a bigish dry erase board, or a notebook and pen, or if you know sign language, even just the alphabet, someone who knows and can translate. I taught my family alphabet in sign language when i was in the hospital, but they gave me this little dry erase board, and i was constantly using that bad boy.

Make sure they are doing what they are supposed to. When i say this i mean, washing hands, changing gloves, using foam or hand sanitizer. They didn't always do that with me, and i wasn't stubborn enough, and i got an infection in my neck dissection because they weren't being sterile, and they weren't cleaning it properly.

Not trying to scare you, just letting you know some of the things i wish i knew before surgery.

I would suggest you have a family member maybe bring you laptop to you maybe no first day after surgery, but maybe second day.

Not everyone is the same, some bounce back sooner or later then others. but for me, laptop and tv became my best friends while i was in the hospital.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers, and hope for a quick and as full as can be recovery from surgery!!