Dear Dianne,

What I am reading in your letter sounds like you need INFORMATION from your doctor. It is only fair to know what you are facing and what he is thinking. Our minds are our worst enemies when they are left to imagine the worst!! I can understand your need to try to read as much as you can, but you are going to burn yourself out trying to cover all of the "what if's."

Start with the basics: Where is your cancer located? On your tongue? That's what it sounds like, since you describe a graft from your arm. There are plenty of people here who have undergone that surgery.

Take a deep breath. You can't change anything, and you will wear yourself out.

I take it from your note that your doctor has said something about a feeding tube (the PEG tube) and a breathing tube (the tracheotomy tube.)

Somebody else jump in here......It sounds like maybe your tumor is far back on your tongue (???) and he is wanting to protect you against the possibility of swelling from the surgery, so he will plan to place a breathing tube for a few days. I don't think that most people go home with those. (I am not a doctor, of course....I'm just trying to get some information.) He might be expecting you to have some trouble eating at first because of whatever surgery he has planned, and hence, the feeding tube. Perhaps if he is going to do a graft to your tongue, it will take some time to allow it to heal (maybe he doesn't want it disturbed by eating for a while) and maybe then it will take a bit of time to practice with your "new" tongue.

OR.........Maybe this is not what you are going to have at all! Let us know more of what you know.

You need more information, and I suggest that you call the doctor's office, and tell the nurse that you really need to talk with him, and either have him call you or give you an appointment just to talk.

You can't adjust to what you don't know about!!

Tell us what you do know, so we can start to help you understand and to feel better about it.

XO