Jimmy, I did not have the surgery but rad and chemo for 7 weeks. I'm coming up on the 1 year mark soon and, while I can swallow ok (had to go to a speech therapist to re-learn how) most foods still taste terrible and I don't have enough saliva to process it. Yet others have reported eating normally in a few months. My rad onc just shrugs and says "it's different for everyone."

David R. 65 yr old male non-smoker, light drinker, stage 3 or 4, depending on which doc you ask, scc rt. tonsil, 2 nodes, 7 weeks radiation and chemo. No surgery. Teatment ended 3/20/08. PET scan 8/08 showed no cancer.
And now, as of oct, 2010, caregiver to wife, Linda, with breast cancer.
May, 2013, Linda diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Enuf already.