Hi there - I too had a very similar surgery to your husbands and finished radiation ten weeks ago today!!! Though two of those weeks were technically "radiation" time because radiation is cumulative generally the person feels okay up to week 3-4 then things get bad - with the worst of it being the to weeks following rads. -

There was another man here who had a similar surgery to your hubby - he did not have radiation or chemo but his flap was from under his chin... And yes hair is normal if the location they take it from is hairy.

The order they did the surgery in is right. I had my tongue operation, and nodes and rebuild done at the same time. Sometimes they do fail for whatever reason. Under the chin is a new technique being used it's usually the wrist or the thigh they take a graft from, with the wrist being optimal since it's the thinnest skin on the body. (that's what my surgeon told me.)

Your hubby should be able to eat soft foods until a few weeks into chemo - I have to say I preferred semi solid to mushy though. Mushy was hard to control, but things like omelets (not dry foods though) were easier to eat - so maybe small buis of meat. I used to put it in my good side chew it and swallow. It depends on your hubby though. And rads makes a mess of the insid of your mouth. It causes mouth sores, sensitivity to acidic or spicy foods, swelling of the tongue again (if it's had time to deflate after surgery) and messes with your taste buds. None of it is pleasant but it is doable. He may end up with lymphedema from his radiation, and surgery so he'll be swollen for a bit after surgery, and rads.

Good luck... My thoughts and prayers are with you both.