I am 36 years old. I've just had surgery to remove a tumor on the side/bottom of my tongue, and three lymph nodes in the same side of my neck. It's a few days yet until I see the cancer team for details on staging and beginning radiation and chemo.

The surgery has left me with no eating complaints other than my tongue doesn't reach very far at this point (they tell me to expect that to change), and I'm unable to lick the outside of my teeth, or roll the side with the incision... this means I prefer to chew as little as possible since food escapes the range of my tongue easily. I'm eating foods like oatmeal, soups, etc. Small pieces that can go down without chewing. And I capture the pieces that stray through swishing with water. I don't have a lot of pain now, 10 days after surgery, except a little with acidy fruits (which they also tell me will improve). [Tangent: Bananas kill worse than anything, even oranges, which I find strange.]

I was curious whether everyone winds up with a PEG feeding tube during treatment? Have any of you ever heard of someone who was able to manage the pain, nausea, and taste issues and swallow enough nutrition normally while they were receiving radiation and chemo, with my kind of cancer? Again, side/bottom of external tongue, and 3 lymph nodes in neck. I lost a very modest amount of tongue, it looks almost the same size as before. And again, I'm only 36.