Jennie,

You've gotten lots of good advice above. Please remember you'll always get plenty of support and suggestions here, so feel free to come back any time with your concerns.

There can be a range of reactions to the treatment for tongue cancer, so it's hard to predict how your husband will respond. However, I think most of us who had both surgery and radiation will tell you that the surgery was a piece of cake compared with radiation (or chemo with radiation). I was 39 when I was diagnosed, and my symptoms had been virtually ignored by two doctors -- even though I made a point of asking about them and they were very clearly visible -- because they said I didn't fit the "risk profile" for oral cancer. I had a truly miserable time with radiation, like many others here, but over time my mouth has healed remarkably well. It's important to remember that there is usually an extended recovery time from radiation (one rule of thumb is that it takes a month of recovery for each week of radiation), so be prepared.

I don't know if you've had a chance to look elsewhere on the OCF site (beyond this forum), but if you haven't, please be sure to check it out. There's a ton of very useful information there and the news section is updated continuously.

Cathy