Hi, John.

It sounds like you have the best possible prognosis! I also had the same thing, but I still became very depressed shortly after surgery. It's a normal reaction that gets better, definitely seek out help from a psychiatrist/mental health counselor if you feel like you might need meds or one-to-one counseling. Even though I find great support on these forums, I still go once a month to a private counselor and it helps me. I was going more frequently in the beginning as soon as I was feeling well-enough to do so.

I'd say that my recovery took longer than the average, but I had a couple of things that complicated my case. Everyone is vastly different, but with many similarities. Like Eric said, you are young and did not require rads/chemo, so that will mean that your physical recovery will be much quicker. On the flip side, the emotional recovery is a longer process and an ongoing one for a cancer survivor. That's why we're all here!

With respect to the staple removal (I'm assuming you mean in your neck), it's not bad at all. It's quick and you'll most likely feel better in that area pretty quickly.

As far as brushing your teeth, I was given permission to do so while I was in the hospital, but was told not to brush my tongue. It may help to get a toddler toothbrush because it is smaller and softer so you can reach back to you molars without disrupting your tongue. I had a very difficult time clearing my mucous secretions and learning to spit again, so I had a home suction unit for about a month. I found it very helpful. I would also swish out my mouth just to help clear it out.

I developed what is called "white hairy tongue"...looks as gross as it sounds. Mine was white do to all of the smoothies and ensure I was drinking. Your tongue surface might look like a shag carpet for a while until you start to reintroduce some rougher textures back into your diet. It's harmless and mine went away slowly when I was finally able to brush my tongue and use a tongue scraper (don't do this without asking your doctor).

I hope some of this helped. Each day you will get a little better physically, but don't be surprised if emotionally you're on a roller coaster for a while. When we are diagnosed and treated so quickly, our heads spin! It's a lot to process in such a short time and I think it's harder to process for a younger person such as yourself because you most likely didn't expect to have oral cancer at your age.

I suspect that you will make a full recovery with respect to speech and eating, with time. You're already ahead of where I was at this point in your recovery. Best of luck to you and keep coming back.

Take care,
Kerri