Camille,

I had to read everything I could when my husband was diagnosed on Valentine's day. He had his partial glossectomy and neck dissection on 3/27. It took over 3 weeks to coordinate the surgeons's schedule and get all the necessary testing done prior to surgery. He was in the hospital for 2 days following surgery. He had the best case scenario based on everything that had been explained to us prior to surgery. After surgery, the final pathology actually downgraded his cancer to T2N0M0. He did not have to have a skin graft or free flap. He was able to speak right after surgery. He did have a nasal feeding tube for 10 days. That allowed him to heal. He was ready when they removed it and has not had difficulty swallowing or resuming his regular diet. He does have a lisp with certain words but I'm sure that will continue to improve. The pet scan appeared to have involvement in the lymph nodes. However, the final pathology all lymph nodes removed were negative. At this time, his team of physician's have changed his course of therapy and now recommended observation instead of radiation. He was back to work after taking off 2 weeks. I was prepared for the worst and so far things have been much better than expected. Best of luck to you and I hope you find this encouraging.