The University of Pennsylvania is a fine hospital, although I’m from another state, I heard positive things about them with head and neck cancer. It’s true, many doctors make it seem like a walk in the park, but I’m sure their confidence in doing these surgeries comes into play.

I wouldn’t give too much thought into statistics! Each person is unique, and lots of info, if you’ve been reading, is outdated. I was never given any survival rates by my doctors, although i peeked on-line, and that was with 7 recurrences. They even increased the age of patient treatment from the ages in the 70’s into the mid 80’s, although other factors of physical condition come into play.

I have type 2 diabetes, so I know about, and have suffered from delayed healing. A key is controlling the blood sugar, if you can, and in the hospital they test you constantly.

One thing with a tporaey trache is communicating. I was alone, so I had no one to help me, and even had iSpeak on my cell phone, but that wasn’t given to me until a day later, and much hand signaling. When I did obtain my cell phone it was a waste because the surgery recovery had effected my vision. Eventually, I was given a dry erase board upon my request, which helped a lot. By day 3 or 4 my doctor placed the speaking trache, so I was better able to communicate better.

I hope this helps