Hi Cathy, Glad to hear you're on semi-solid foods already. My docs were the same way, wanted me on semi-solid foods at least before I left the hospital. No peg tube.

Swelling will take a while, I just celebrated a one year anniversary of sorts of one of my neck dissections, and the swelling still comes and goes a little. Numbness will probably be around for a long time, eventually you get used to it.

Keep trying with the eating, part of the problem is just getting used to how to manipulate food with the post surgery tongue. Just let your speach and accent adapt. I sounded a lot like Homer Simpson for a few weeks.

Good luck
Bob