Leila,

It all depends on your situation - location of cancer and treatment.

My cancer was on the lateral side of my tongue (the mobile part) near my molars. I had multiple surgeries in the same location over the years and had radiation to my tongue, jaw and side of neck (did not radiate the inside/throat). I really never had much trouble swallowing - my problem was and still is chewing and manuvering the food in my mouth. After each surgery and radiation my tongue was very swollen and painful. Radiation caused many sores to develope in the area that was radiated. There are many medications that can help with the pain, and other mediacaitons that help sooth the mouth sores. With surgery, each day after surgery gets a little better. With radiation, each day gets a little worse and will continue to get worse until a few weeks after the radiation ends.

The only know cure for oral cancer is surgery (remove the cancer) and/or radiation. Chemotherapy is often given with radiation to help it work better. Now there are many new drugs out there since when I was treated, so this may not be totally true - your doctors can better answer what is the best treatment for you.

Make a list of questions to ask your doctor. Bring someone with you to take notes. Some doctors will allow you to record the discussion. I also would bring a detailed diagram of the head and neck area with me so the doctor could mark the areas affected. You can use Dr. Google to search for a diagram.