jim,thank you very much for writing.it's nice to hear from someone who has a similar situation.i had a swallowing test last week,everything goes right into lungs,now they're saying 6-9months,w/swallowing therapy before i may be able to swallow,and maybe more surgery.i'm thinking i might be better off moving to where i was treated.right now i'm about 3&1/2hours away and am seeing the doctor who referred my surgeon.i guess what they saved of your tongue is giving you taste,they put a plug in my trache and i can talk barely well enough depending on how much phlegm there is,i don't expect to taste unless thru smell,if that's possible.i've had the trache about six weeks,did you have any problems with coughing up phlegm or clearing throat after trache fell out?i can't believe it took six weeks for someone to give me a brush to clean the roof and back of my mouth.i brush every day but had scars and mucous that built up.now i'm pretty clean,but can't imagine what my breath smells like.i take roxicet at night also,it helps alot.and i try to get out,it seems to help,which is one of the reasons i'd like to move.i'm in the middle of farm country and there's no place to walk without driving.the palatal drop mouth prothesis sounds interesting,my speech is good somedays but not others.did you ever have a plug in your trache?i was hoping to hear from someone who had gone thru this.thank you so much for the opportunity to ask.and i wish you the best possible outcome.lyle