Laurie,

I am so sorry you are going through all this. I went thru similar surgery but they took half my tongue and built it back up with a flap from my forearm. I also had a trache tube for breathing and a feeding tube through my nose. The good news - your post op news is about as good as it gets! No rads or chemo, happy for that! I had radiation treatment but no chemo.

I had to learn to be patient in my recovery. It took months to get food, speech, social, and sporting activities back. One excellent piece of advice I took - keep a daily journal, written, video, etc. It helped me reference improvement. I might get frustrated about taking 30 minutes just to eat two scrambled eggs. But, then I would read and remember that just a few weeks ago I was still on a feeding tube.

Swelling of my tongue seemed to take forever to come down. Some days I thought I was going backwards. You are not. It just takes many weeks/months. I would say it was about 2 weeks before i could touch my top row of teeth to my bottom row. It was another week or so before I got my feeding tube out. Then, I was mostly soft bland foods (eggs, soup, pudding, etc) for another couple weeks/month. I suggest getting a Vitamix (discounted through OCF) if you don't already have one. But, slowly but surely, I gained more ability with my tongue to manipulate food, speak more clearly, etc.

I was back to doing my normal work, social, exercise routines in about 3 months. Weak, tired more quickly, etc. but I could talk to a stranger and be understood, I could eat in public, I could jog and surf. It took many more months to feel back to full strength. I still have a lisp but my speech is nearly normal. I can run and surf just as hard as before, etc.

Everyone is different. But, this was my experience. Be patient and focus on mind, body, and spirit daily. Keep video and written journals. Go back and read them occasionally and you will be surprised.

Sending you positive thoughts and prayers.

Nels