Iawill...........IIrene is right, keep asking questions and you'll find the answers here. There is always someone here who has "been there, done that" and we are more than willing to share our experiences.

As for your physical appearance, I don't think there is a person on this forum who didn't at some point wear turttlenecks or scarfs to try and cover up the scars and the trach hole.....well, maybe I should just speak for us women, I don't know about the guys. LOL However, at some point you will just become comfortable with yourself and your appearance and slowly the scarfs and turttlenecks will disappear. I don't know when that is gonna happen for you, but I can almost guarentee it will happen....when you're ready. I rarely think about the way I look or sound anymore. I think it was Popeye who said it so eloquantly......"I am what I am what Iam what I am" and right now at the age of 47 I pretty much take those words to heart.

Your taste buds will come back too. It seems like everything just takes forever....and I guess it does. Slowly but surely you will regain some of your losses and the eating will just continue to get easier and easier. Five years after losing over two-thirds of my tongue I can and do eat almost anything; alot of it depends on how badly I want to eat a certain food too. And yet sometimes eating is still just plain work. Now that summer is here, somedays I might stuggle with a grilled hamburger because I want to taste a bit of summer pleasure, other times I won't waste my time with a hamburger because it is simply too much work. I do find peace of mind knowing that I can eat a hamburger if I want to though. Five years ago when my speech therapist told me I would be able to eat a hamburger I almost laughed in her face! I thought she was either nuts, or just flat out lying to me. She was right, I was wrong.

Along with all the eating, swallowing and speech issues I think it also just takes time for us to adjust to our new rebuilt mouths/tongues. If I lost a leg, it would take a certain amount of time before I was up and walking again and even a longer time before I was able to run. Losing a good portion of tongue isn't much different, it does take a long time before our speech is where we would like it to be, our taste buds working again, swallowing with ease.....all those things take time and energy! Look forward to chatting with you Lorraine, and keep the questions coming! Sincerely, Donna


SCC first time 1989, with a diagnoses of 'cancer in situ' removed lesion, no other treatments.
SCC recurrence 1997 of tongue and floor of the mouth. Stage III /IV Hemmiglossectomy (removed over 60% of tongue/ floor of the mouth), free flap, modified neck, RAD and Chemo(cisplatin, 5fu) simutainously.
Cancer free 6, yes, six, years!