Thanks Wendy and Christine! Wendy, that is exactly what I needed to hear. I was curious if I should try and have an additional surgery to un-tether my tongue, but I think I will take your advice and just back off of it for a while. I, too, feel so lucky and blessed that for now my speech is one of my biggest problems. I have begun to just accept that it will never be perfect, and my anxiety about talking in front of new clients, ordering food at restaurants, talking on the phone, etc is slowly getting better. It is very encouraging to know that your speech has continued to improve over the years. Just curious - why did you have 3 separate surgeries for a T1 tumor?


Emily - 24 years old at diagnosis
HPV-, no risk factors
T2N2b Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Left oral tongue, poorly differentiated
Hemiglossectamy, reconstruction, partial neck dissection
30 Radiation treatments, weekly chemo (cisplatin)
1/13/12 last day of treatment
Diagnosed October 2011