Hi Pete,

My husband had surgery at UW in April 2007 for tonsillar/base of tongue SCC with the same forearm reconstruction you will be having. It was certainly a very long day for him, and the eight days in the hospital seemed to last forever. But now 13 months out from surgery you really would never know that they split his chin in half and carved out huge portions of his mouth, as well as doing a left neck dissection. The scars have healed beautifully. If you are interested, you can check out the blog I kept during his hospital stay, as it has more details and may help you get a little sense of how things may go for you (realizing, of course, that everyone's course is unique). www.wickedsorethroat.blogspot.com
Like most blogs, it has the newest entries at the top, so it is best to check the archives for the earliest entries from March and read it from the bottom up so you get the info chronologically.

You seem to have a wonderful upbeat attitude, and that is sure to help you through the times ahead. If you have any specific questions you think I may be able to answer, please feel free to send me a PM.

Good luck with it all.
-Tricia