 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,627 | Bob,
I had the same surgery as your sister in law, although I didn't lose any of my tongue. While surgery was difficult, the radiation was the battle. Please make sure your sister in law and wife are aware of this, as I did not grasp this fact when I was waiting to start radiation. Within two weeks of the surgery I was feeling pretty good, within 4 weeks I was eating what I wanted, feeling great. Radiation knocked me on my rear end and it is the radiation that has left me with any long term effects, not the surgery. I would do the surgery five times over before I would suffer radiation again.
Take care,
Minnie
SCC Left Mandible. Jaw replaced with bone from leg. Neck disection, 37 radiation treatments. Recurrence 8-28-07, stage 2, tongue. One third of tongue removed 10-4-07. 5-23-08 chemo started for tumor behind swallowing passage, Our good friend and much loved OCF member Minnie has been lost to the disease (RIP 10-29-08). We will all miss her greatly.
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