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Eating after mouth surgery and lymph nodes removed from neck.

Kirkyboo
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Hi there, 

My husband has been diagnosed with mouth cancer on his gum. He's has ct scan and mri scan and they showed up that the cancer is in lymph nodes in his neck too. He's going for surgery very soon. My question is how will he be able to eat after the surgery?  Or is it common to be tube fed afterwards for a while. Thank you for your help. 

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    Hello Kirkyboo, I have also recently been diagnosed with mouth cancer on my gum. I haven't been given a treatment plan as yet. I’ll be interested to hear how your husband gets on as it seems we will be going through this unwelcome experience at the same time. 

  • Hello and thanks for posting

    Whether or not your husband can eat or drink after his operation will depend on the type of surgery he has. His specialist team are better placed to tell him this for sure.

    But any surgery to the mouth usually means a person can't eat or drink for a few days. They have fluids through a drip.

    If your husband needs to  have a feeding tube, a dietitian will see him to decide how much liquid feed he will need, until he is eating and drinking normally. 

    Once his wound has healed he can gradually increase the amount he drinks. Soon he can start to eat a soft diet, such as soup or jelly. His dietitian will monitor this and gradually cut down his liquid feeds. 

    I hope the surgery goes well. Give us a ring if you would like to talk anything over. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

    Kind regards,

    Celene

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