Dear Friends

Mum is home from the hospital and we are taking one day at a time, which is about all we can do at the moment.

However I have a question for you, which I want to put forward on my mum's behalf. Mum is complaining that her new tongue (pretty much new tongue because only half a centremetre of her own tongue remains at the front), feels fat and raised. When she tries to swallow, the top of her tongue touches the roof of her mouth and prevents soft solids getting down. Everything she has to eat must be completely pureed and then pushed through a sieve. She then has to help it go down with a big glass of water.

It has only been one month since surgery to remove the tumour on her tongue and radical neck dissection to remove lymph nodes. Perhaps it is early days yet?

Mum does worry about it a lot though. Did any of you who had similar surgery experience the feeling of a fat tongue, which got better and more settled with time?

Kathleen.

PS: Will she always have to eat pureed food or later will she be able to progress to something else?