Hi there,

I am looking for a new speech and swallow therapist in the Boston area. My current therapist is very accomplished, but we don't work well together. I need someone who is effective at tackling both speech and swallow. She/he also needs to be comfortable working with someone who had her tongue completely removed. Any recommendations/places to start searching?

Thank you, guys!

Hi Rose!

I hope you are doing well with everything!!!

OCF has a worldwide presence. At this moment, OCF may not have any members living around your area that are actively reading/posting and who also have the exact same special needs as you with requiring help from a speech therapist. When I read first your post, I thought to myself if you do not have any replies after a couple days you probably wont have much luck finding help here so I would respond.

Asking other members for help in finding a specific medical professional doesnt usually work out as expected. Unfortunately, its just by pure chance the right person who has found and used a certain kind of specialist in the general area you reside in reads and responds to your post. OC has so many variables with tumor location, size, stage, treatments, area affected by treatments, age, general physical health, surgeries, plus in your situation a total glossectomy which far less than half or a quarter of OC patients have done. What one patient loves, another similar patient may find would never work for them with different personalities and needs. Here at OCF, we do NOT rate physicians, medical professionals, or treatment facilities for good reason! On our public forum, its best to avoid the entire notion of naming doctors, facilities (good or bad) as we can never allow anything disparaging or even overly positive about any person, facility, place or thing. OCF, its members, people behind the scenes, advisory board etc are NOT qualified to rate or judge any people, places, things by sharing our own personal opinions. One person may love their doctor (almost everyone here does) while another could think they're the very worst of the worst simply based on a weak handshake or lack of eye contact which does NOT impact their skill. Theres a great many websites (some free, some not and the same goes for being reputable...) that compare and/or rate medical professionals. Those sites each have their own set of criteria they judge by which may or may not work out for your situation and needs.

Whats worked in the past for others is to contact their treatment facility, treatment doctors, ask nurses, and or asking friends, relatives, co-workers who live in your area. Calling your insurance company to get a list of available specialists also has worked for many seeking the right fit for a specialist.

Good luck!!!