Hi Kazy - So glad you found this great place to be. My son also had SCC - his was Stage 2 and he's been cancer-free for 8+ years. Just recently he told me he had seen more improvement in his taste buds and they had already been around 90% improvement for a long time. Everybody is different in their recovery so you never know when you will see some unexpected and happy change. Right now, he likes spicy stuff and has to add more hot sauce to things than he used to to enjoy them like before his SCC. Sounds like you are doing some good things in getting some therapy help and making good diet choices. Sharing your recovery concerns makes it a lot easier to accept what you need to do to get to feeling better. After my son's surgery to remove part of his tongue, his doctor told him the tongue would spread out eventually to fit the space but it did take a while of practice before he could maneuver food around and swallow without choking but it does get better. Stay with us, Kazy - there are lots of knowledgeable and compassionate people here who understand what you are going through.