Hi all,

My wife, Lillian, has been diagnosed with cancer of the tongue (Stage1) with the lesion tucked away under the tongue on the right hand side where the tongue meets the floor of the mouth

Lillian had been complaining of pain in her mouth since mid-July of this year she went to her gp in August who suggested to go to her dentist and it was he who recommend an oral specialist here in Cork, Ireland.

On the first visit in mid-Sept they took a biopsy and the results came back at the end of Sept showing cancerous cells so we were referred to the South Infirmary hospital here in Cork

About ten days later we had the initial meeting with the surgeon who did a visual inspection with camera etc then spoke to us confirming it was cancer and was stage 1 he mentioned some of the steps taking including plastic surgeon who will reconstruct the tongue n bone

My wife them had an MRI and I think CT scan on head neck along with blood tests

Fast forward to today and a meeting with the plastic surgeon who reported that the surgeon will be taking HALF the tongue !! This knocked us for six when we heard it, it was when we heard this that reality really sunk in

The plastic surgeon explained what she will be doing with regard’s reconstructing the tongue and the jaw and how she will need skin grafts from the lower arm for the tongue and subsequently from the stomach area to help the lower arm heal

This operation is gonna take an entire day and a two week stay in hospital - from what I understand it will be life changing in terms of speaking and eating and loss of taste could also happen


So this is where we’re are on our journey I’d like to hear from others on this journey too

Thank you

Evening all,

So today is 6 day post surgery and I am delighted to post that Lillian has responded really well, she is well on the road to recovery

Surgery started at about 8:30am last Monday morning and took almost 12 hrs during which they had to removed 4 teeth (one needing to be drilled), some jaw bone and also a portion of tongue. Whilst they were in that region they also removed some lymph nodes as a precaution and the plastic surgery team used some of her left forearm to replaced the portion of tongue that was removed.
We went into see her about 60 mins post surgery and it can be overwhelming when you see all the tubes and sensors attached to her however though Lillianwas very very groggy and only coming around from the operation she was able to give us the thumbs up!!!!

We have been going in every day and sometimes twice at day and each day we have seen steps forward - after three days the drainage tubes from her neck were removed, also the tracheotomy tube was reduced in size and a speaking valve installed and she is now able to talk with us through her windpipe! Today was the first day she didnt need morphine so another step forward she is still in pain and they have her on a strong paracetamol solution and blood thinner injections. Lillian has been able to sit up and go for short walks around the ward so all these are positive signs. The medical staff are really happy with her progress even from the second day onwards and tomorrow she is being moved from the HDU [High Dependancy Ward] to a general ward so that is great news.

Still on a drip fed feed and will be so for a number of days to come. The results of the biopsy should be back mid-week and the medical team will review and we should get feedback shortly after sp fingers crossed.


So thanks for all the good wishes, I will post another update in due course

Hi all,

Just a brief update it is now 5 weeks post operative and things are doing really well, relatively

Tracheotomy hole is almost closed, lower arm skin graft is healing quite well though Lillian does have some pain in a part of her wrist. The wound on her stomach has healed well too

With regards to the cancer it transpired that it was in the jaw bone but some of the adjoining tongue area was removed for good measure - still some pain and swelling in the area but this will take months to settle. Told it will be 6 months before her teeth (4 were removed) and hbe addressed. As mentioned before the best news is that no radiation is needed

When it comes to eating still on soft diet as swelling in mouth makes it hard, Christmas dinner will be a pasta based meal with stewed apples and custard for dessert

So all in all it is positive. Take care everyone

Will

Thanks for keeping us updated. So pleased that the recovery is going well and no radiation is needed. Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable holiday. Stay safe and keep the faith!

Nels