Good1,

I also had a chunk of my tongue removed, although I did not have to have any bone removed, and people tell me my speech is fine. I was very lucky in that the surgeon didn't have to remove the tip of my tongue, so my diction is still very good. As far as the effect of radiation on the flap, mine did swell quite a bit and almost three months out, it still feels very full in my mouth. I do hope it goes down - it was perfect before the radiation, but like everything in this disease, I'm waiting and watching.

As far as weight loss vs. gain, do ask about the Carnation VHC, its good stuff! Also, does your treatment center have a nutritionist that you can talk to? Preferably one that deals with oral cancer patients. There are lots of ways to add calories to the foods you can eat and lots of recipes for folks trying to gain weight after cancer treatment.

As far as your family, I can only say the burden ends up being on you to reassure them that you're okay. That part of being a cancer patient is, in my experience, the hardest. Try to let them know that its okay to be scared, that you are too, but that you're gonna fight and really need their support to do that. I also think its good to let them know that saying anything is sometimes better than not saying anything at all if that's how you're feeling.

Good luck, and welcome to the OCF. This is an amazing and wonderful resource with some amazing and wonderful people.

- Margaret