My mother who is 79 underwent surgery in February.
She had over 1/2 her tongue removed, her right lower jaw and right floor of her mouth. They used tissue from her chest for reconstruction and a metal plate for her jaw. This was after she had radiation and neck resection last May. She was in the hospital for a month. She is out now. Her speech is quite understandable but there is an impediment. She is eating mostly pureed food and still supplements through her feeding tube.She is in very good spirits considering everything she has been through. The doctor is cautiously optimistic that he got all the cancer.She is not sorry that she had the surgery now that it is over and says that this is easier than the radiation because it is over and she is getting better every day.