Hello I had a partial glossectomy and neck dissection to remove a positive node. My main concern is recurrence, quality of speech, and pain management.

Welcome to OCF! Have you been treated at a cancer center with oncologists? If so there should be many other services available to cancer patients. Most cancer treatment facilities have things like speech therapy, physical therapy, nutritionists, etc to help the many areas cancer patients need help with. Ive seen patients do speech therapy and have remarkable improvements in their enunciation and go from someone who was very difficult to understand to having clear and easy to understand speech. The treatment facility should have a pain management person to help patients who are in alot of pain as well as therapists to help patients deal with a potentially life threatening diagnosis.

Having a recurrence is every cancer survivors greatest fear!!! I was among those patients who like you feared recurrences. I had such an enormous fear so much so that I wouldnt even take a peek at the recurrence section of our OCF forum. It took me a long time to fully understand the whole picture. This is something completely out of your control. No amount of worrying will ever change if you will or wont have a recurrence. The majority of OC patients will NOT have a recurrence. You could ask at your treatment center about therapists you could talk to who treat cancer patients so they understand what you are going thru. Many OC patients will need some help to get thru their diagnosis, treatment and recovery to handle it mentally. Its very common for them to need anxiety meds to help get them thru some dark days. This is so prevalent that many caregivers need anxiety meds and therapy as well. Cancer is HARD!!!! The diagnosis stuns and can make your head spin which gets the "what ifs" started. You arent alone with this, we all have been there and gone thru this. Now that you have discovered our site, we will do our best to help you. We're all n this together

Hope this helps!

Hello ChristineB,
Thank you for taking the time to write; I was pleasantly surprised!

I’m being treated at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto. PMC is world class (or so they say) and seems to have a stellar team for head and neck and a survivorship program that includes every possible support.


My surgery was 3 weeks ago and I’m still in pain both tongue and neck, but it’s getting better each day.

I’m awake in the night with itchy skin I can’t relieve. I had 15 lymph nodes removed one that was positive. My pathology report shows ckearwitj good margins so that’s good news. The oncology resident told lme yesterday however that they may have me meet with a radiation oncologyst for a consult tbd sept 7.18.


I was diagnosed July 10 and had surgery July 31.
All so fast... my mood is up and down and I’m so greatful for
Amazing medical care and the support of my family, coworkers / friends.

Thank you

Welcome to the forum. I’m from Ontario and my husband was treated at PMH. While John did not have surgery, he did have radiation and chemo there. I can tell you that he had the best care one could hope for. The doctors are really top notch. Make sure you are proactive and ask questions when in doubt. Hoping for the very best for you.

Thank you Gmcraft... I have an excellent surgeon and I feel lucky to be receiving world class cancer care in Toronto at PMH.

I’ll find out on Sept 7 if I need any further treatment.
Eating and talking are a struggle atm.

Hope your husband is well!

Meeras: I send you a private message regarding your concern about recurrence. Did they tell you if your cancer was HPV related ?