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Soft Palette Removal

C2022R
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My Dad has had an operation this week and they have had to remove some of the base of his tongue and some of his soft palette.  So far since the operation he can't speak properly and can't swallow, eat or drink.  Has anyone else experienced this and seen any improvement with time? 

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    Sorry to hear about your dad, I had a mucosectomy 3 weeks ago and that was removal of thr skin on the base of my tongue. I also had lining of throat removed and tonsils took out.

    After the operation I sounded like  darth vader but fast forward 3 weeks and I sang on the karaoke.

    Eating was a huge struggle initially and took me about 12 days to start eating normally. Yawning is still very painful.

    If your dad has had a partial glossectomy that involves removing more than the skin of the tongue and will take longer to recover speech and may take speech therapy. Most people who have partial glossectomy on the base of tongue go on to speak well in time. There's many posts on this website documenting after a few months to a year their speech has returned to near normal.

    Wishing your both you and your dad well.

     

  • Hello C2022R and thanks for posting

    I am sorry to hear about your dad's recent operation and the side effects he is currently experiencing.

    As samster1 has helpfully chipped in with their experience and advice that not being able to speak, eat or drink properly in the following days and weeks is very normal for these types of procedures.

    Operations cause a lot of swelling and bruising and it takes time for this to settle and the body to heal itself but usually with time things do return.

    Try and encourage your dad to be patient and take things one day at a time. If he is concerned about anything he should let his doctor or nurse know so they can assess and advise as needed.

    Please get back in touch if you have more questions or you are welcome to call the nurses on 0808 800 4040 mon-fri 9-5.

    Best wishes

    Naomi

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