Hi;

I always say 'Till/to the other side" and the journey is part way done.

I've had my surgery and they didn't have to remove a lot of my tongue - just a little bit, more at the base. But they did remove a lot from the floor of my mouth, all my teeth to gain access and approx 3 inches / 7 centimeters of my right jaw that was reconstructed courtesy of my left leg. All of my operation sites are stable and all of their perimeter biopsies were negative, which is great. 9+4 lymph nodes. No metastasis. That said, the tumour was large and radiation/chemo come next. I was admitted to hospital on Aug 29 and was home on Sept 10.

While most of the swelling has gone down, speech is an issue (am practicing) and am using the Sloan-Kettering Trismus handbook for exercises (free download) - my speech pathologist recommended. I find it most annoying that I can't manipulate food in my mouth. I think the removal of my teeth has a lot to do with that - and have been told that they won't look at their replacement until the spring (March/April).

Am eating the usual in this position - Ensure, Soups, Mott's Fruitsations, Yogurt, Puddings, and I make my own soups/stews with very finely chopped ingredients (if something gets stuck, I won't choke, just be annoyed). Helps though - yesterday I roasted a chicken, chilled overnight so chopped easily, but also prepared all the finely chopped veggies by hand. Little tiny squares help make you feel human again. Am going to purchase a steak so I can (literally) suck on it, probably won't be able to swallow. The blender is perfect for assorted fruit juices.

Chemo and radiation to start on the 21st or 28th. Am worried about the loss of saliva, but will take it over loss of life. Is Biotene that good or are there others people would recommend? I should be done the chemo/radiation in the first week(ish) of December. I guess recovery from there and probably a followup PET scan...

As far as the surgery - I can walk on the leg that donated the bone (gingerly, inside my house, no supports); cane or walker and aircast otherwise. Big scar from my lip to my adam's apple and then side to side (ear to ear). Working on exercising my jaw several times a day. My jaw's the only area where I still experience pain - constant ache, but am not using any medication. Going for progressively longer walks every day and all my swelling has gone down. Some annoying numbness near the tip of my tongue, but all taste is back and maybe a bit of nerve damage on the back of my left leg to foot (near the ankle and donor site).

Oh, and really annoying - Ice Cream gives me lockjaw. Ack !!! I stocked a freezer with Haagen-Dazs <sigh>. Also on the annoyed list - they delivered me a wheelchair a week ago, a week after I no longer needed it. Probably take a year for them to pick it up - but the help assistance here has been great.

Hi again everyone (from Toronto, Canada) - the tunnel isn't so long any more.

Drew.
Toronto.