Hi Lyn,

I asked the question about the tongue swelling to 4 different Dr's. and got answers ranging from "oh, it's still quite swollen" to "no, there's no more swelling", which was pretty frustrating. But, right before I started radiation, it had come down pretty far, but I still felt like you, that there was a golf ball in my mouth. Tomorrow will be my 14th day of radiation and it has swelled up quite a bit, so don't be surprised if that happens. I'm hoping it doesn't get too much worse, as my speech is definitely worse now. From what I've heard from all the Dr's. is that it will all get worse for 2 months or so, but then gradually improve. I was eating solid food, not everything I wanted, but it was getting a lot better. But now I'm just on liquid supplements and creamed soups. I lost most of my taste after about 8 treatments. It's just easier to drink things I can't taste than chew them.
As far as the singing, just keep at it. The Dr's. often are too quick to speak. Surprisingly, they don't seem to realize how much this affects us. I wouldn't accept his statement as my fate.This is your life. Keep at it. Are you going to speech therapy? I'm going to do that after radiation. My speech has improved somewhat, but I'm definitely not satisfied. I'm sure that could help you too. Best of luck to you!!