Hey Cathy,
Dan had a little more than 1/3 tongue removal and he was back talking great and eating pretty good until the recurrance. He had a PEG put in first week of chemo/rad and started using it completely after 3rd week of treatment. He couldn't swallow anything from then until about now (2 months post treatment). He lost his voice for over 6 weeks, but it is coming back good now. He has a little trouble with t's and d's, but doing pretty good talking. He has just started to be able to drink a little water by mouth, although it makes him cough a lot. He also has had a few pudding cups...that's it so far. I just picked up some "Thick-It" from the pharmacy to make things a bit thicker. He can't stand it in water, because thick water is weird. But I have put it in milk with Carnation Instant Breakfast and he was able to get a little of that down.
You are in my prayers as you begin radiation. Dan had 8 weeks worth. It was very hard towards the end, but he always took him meds and slept alot, which he needed. Use the things they give you like mouthwash to help with pain.

Take care and God Bless,
Debbie