Nocam

Hmmn, sounds like maybe you did not have IMRT at all. Dr. Lee's video only applies to IMRT or 3Dconformal radiation. I note your signature line specifically uses XRT. That is an abbreviation for X ray radiation although some use it for external radiation but it's a catch all phrase. The acronyms are bewildering: 2DXRT, 3DCRT, IMRT, SBRT. So it sounds like you may have gotten one of the less advanced radiation TX, especially if they could not keep you appraised of tumor shrinkage.

This stuff is so technical that it's hard to explain in plain English to anyone without gross simplification. It took me a lot of research and reading of the articles and even then I need to bring in articles and ask my doctors what the heck they mean. A very good example is your repeated questions about rotating the tongue instead of a free flap. I was just as confused as you are now about this. Luckily for me, my plastic surgeon, Dr. Davidson is one of the pioneers of the tongue rotation technique and an acknowledged expert in functional reconstruction of the oral cavity.
Here is a link to one of his articles back in 2008 which explains the tongue rotation and even has the pictures that your doctor tried to sketch out for you.
Tongue rotation
I was so excited when I read this but in talking to Dr. Davidson, he explained that even though he uses tongue rotation, he also uses the flap. As the title of the article implies, rotation of the residual tongue is a "modification" of the flap surgery. It does not eliminate the need for a flap, but it's a different way of putting the tongue back together with the flap. So really it's not a question of choosing one or the other. Depending on the tumor, there is no way to avoid a flap in hemiglossectemoy reconstruction. So even though Dr. Davidson did rotate my tongue, he also put in a free flap from my wrist.

I note that you started posting here in July and still have not decided on TX. While I appreciate that you do not want complications or side effects or quality of life changes ins speech or swallowing, it's sort of a package deal with recurrence TX. If there is a way to avoid all these downsides, neither I nor any of my top notch doctors know about them. You learn to adjust to the new normal.

Charm