Welcome to OCF! Im sure you will find this site to be very helpful and also a place your father can use for encouragement. First, when did your father have this major surgery? That will make a huge difference in any advice you are given. If it was fairly recent (which I suspect) he would still be recovering and all kinds of progress will still be possible. My situation is different as I did not have any cancer in my tongue like your father did. Ive had a trach and feeding tube after having my jaw removed and the recovery can take a full year. After extensive surgeries it seems to take forever for the patient to recover. Im sure he is quite impatient to get back to normal. Unfortunately, it is a possibility that he may not be able to eat properly again. I hope that doesnt happen and he will be able to relearn how to manage eating again. One of our active members can not ever eat even a bite of food but he is still able to lead a good productive life.

I hope your father will look at the positives, it will help him to handle things better. I know how difficult it can be trying to pick up the pieces after a life changing surgery. I became disfigured from my surgery and this wont ever change but I am alive which is what really counts. Your father is a very lucky man. I hope he will begin to look at the big picture and see he has the support of his great family that loves him and most importantly is that he has made it thru this.

Best wishes to your dad with his recovery!!!