Hi Ankur, sorry for the delay, I was away over Christmas visiting family, and my parents internet access is limited.

Yes, I lost about 55% of my tongue. I have the tip, but lost most of the back (the incision is diagonal toward the back). The 5% of my speech "missing" is small stuff (I have a longer "s" sound than before), but most people wouldn't notice.

My tongue was reconstructed with a forearm flap. If you want to see the photos of post-surgery, you can "friend me" on facebook - send me a pm and I will give you the full name to search me.

All of my swallowing function is back, although I have to be careful to take smaller bites, and I drink lots of water when I eat, as there is limited saliva production. The benefit is that I lost weight and am now a size 6!

I immediately started eating after release from hospital. Pureed food lasted about 2-3 days and I started with soft foods (pasta, soup, etc.). I was released from hospital October 20, and was eating turkey that Christmas (albeit with a fair bit of gravy).


Tina
Diag: Aug. 13/12
T3N0M0
50% + glossectomy and bilateral radical neck dissection, removal of nodes zones I - V
Surgery October 11/12
Chemo/rad on hold due to clear margins and nodes
Sept 21/13 clear CT with anomaly thought to be the artery, being watched closely.
Dec 16/13 - anomaly confirmed artery, all clear
nickname: "get 'r done"
Plans: kick cancer's butt