Jennie, I'm so sorry your husband is going through this at such a young age. I don't know where on his tongue the tumor is, but mine was on the oral tongue on the left side and I had about 1/3 of my tongue removed as well as a selective neck dissection. I dreaded the surgery--I was really terrified of it. However, I healed from it unbelievably quickly. Within two weeks I was eating almost everything I had eaten before the surgery and my speech was almost back to perfect again (I am a person who loves to talk and you couldn't stop me just by removing 1/3 of my tongue!)

The radiation and chemo were much much harder though, for me and for most people I think. A PEG is a feeding tube that is inserted directly into the stomach. The operation to have one inserted is a simply one requiring at most an overnight stay after--though he may feel like a mule kicked him in ths stomach forn a few days after that. It will be his lifeline if he can't swallow--both food and meds can go down a PEG although there are other ways to get pain meds too such as patches.

Keep asking questions here, there are so many people who have been through it willing to help.

Nelie