hello nicola, first of all the most important thing is staying positive,yes there are horror stories out there but the number of people ive meet over the past 6 years with the same condition have come through it to lead a near normal life ,obviously i understand your concerns especially as you have a young daughter ,which is why i suggest not to hide your symtoms,the more people that now will be able to help you when you need it, true its going to be a rough ride the next couple of years but you can pull through this, if theres any info on what the proceedure is for the op or the possible follow up treatments after please let me know , i was stage 4 tongue and lymph in neck ,im 6 years post op and although at times its been difficult im here and doing my upmost to lead a normal life again ,you can too,please let us all know how things go all the very best x

Dear All

Finding it hard to have to be posting here at all but my husband is waiting for treatment for tongue cancer, surgery at least (including some lymph node removal) and then maybe radiotherapy if he needs it. I'm focusing very much on practicalities at the moment... he's a teacher so speech is important to him, how long in your experience before he might be able to get back in the classroom? Should he be thinking after Christmas or longer (assuming things go well). What impact would radiotherapy have on his speech recovery?

Thanks :)

Hi 

i am 10 month post radiotherapy for tonsil cancer understand where you are coming from but I had 2 chemo and 35 radiotherapy sessions never had a problem speaking but the general,tiredness etc may and probably will get to him just an idea whet  younhave  posted this is an old thread you might be better either starting your own or looking at say Radiotherapy For Throat Cancee in section living with cancer has that’s a current thread. 

I have a blog www.radioactiveraz.wordpress.com where’s I do a blow by blow account if my treatment. Just remember we are all different ,one if the worse things he maybface is lack of saliva which I still have and although speaking isn’t a problem I find talking for more than 10 min so or in a group of people dries me out and makes me tired. But we all are act differently some return straight to work a few work all way through it all depends on what treatment and how his eating is effected

hope this helps to hard to be precise   plan   For the long haul and hope for the short route. But I know people who have also returned too early and are  now taking longer to recover it really is a guessing game. 

Hazel 

Hi Scrapcat

Hazel has given you very sound advice "He may face lack of saliva which I still have and although speaking isn’t a problem I find talking for more than 10 min so or in a group of people dries me out and makes me tired. But we all are act differently some return straight to work a few work all way through it all depends on what treatment and how his eating is effected".

I finished my treatment end January 2014 so have now had the 5 year discharge.  I think it very much depends on the site of the original tumour and what surgery was involved.  Mine started in my tonsil but wasn't evident/diagnosed until I found a lump on my neck (a secondary).  Having said that, all is well with me.  I had surgery to remove the lump and a tonsil, but have had no speech problems at all.  Like Hazel, I have ongoing difficult with lack of saliva/dry mouth (possibly a permanent side affect for all who undergo oral radiotherapy) so I have to wash my food down with lots of liquid to the extent I eat smaller portions than I used to because I get over-full with the extra drinking required. 

However I've learnt to cope with that and am eternally thankful that the treatment I had (albeit gruelling at the time with daily RT and weekly CT) saved my life.

Wishing your husband the very best going forward.  It's a tough time but you have come to the very best place for support.  Check back this thread.  I have made lifelong friends through this experience, we gave each other great support.  We hail from all corners of the UK and met up in London 2015, Liverpool 2017 and Edinburgh 2019.

Irene J

hi scrapchat 

I recovered fairly quickly from my operation it was a T2 on the side of the front of my tongue, I’d say within 4-6 weeks of surgery I was talking again as normal. I had ana amazing consultant who worked to minimise the things that would impact on my speech.

the bad news is that I’m on week 4 of 6 radiotherapy 16/30 treatments and from about week 2 the swelling and blistering in my mouth and on my younger have meant I’m unable to talk very well at all, my partner just about understands me but I’ve downloaded an app that I can type in and it will speak for me, a lot of it is the pain that’s stopping me talking properly.

my oncologist is confident writhin 6 weeks of finishing I should be talking properly again. Had my operation first week of may and optimistically hoping to be back to work first week of September. It’s very different to each person I think as the consultants all seem quite reluctant to give timelines or guarantees on speech and taste etc coming back to full health

Thanks

Joe

More than 1/2 my husbands tongue was removed and rebuilt. He had a very hard time with radiation with pain and burning. He did not want a feed tube so I blended everything and supplemented with Scandi shakes which are @600 calories. He did not finish radiation. He did ended up hospitalized oding on pain meds he was on liquid oxy, fentayal patches, gabapentin. I had him come off everything and slowly he healed and went to speech therapy and was back teaching in a classroom 7 months after durgery

Hi Irene J

justca quick question is Vatch aka Garybone if your gang z? Haven’t seen him post on a few months just wondering if he is ok ? And did he get the 5 years all clear 

thank hazel x

Hi Hazel - we have two Gary's in our 'gang' Gary J (AKA Guzzle) and Gary V (AKA Vatch).  I've forgotten the order of our treatments/diagnoses but we are all 5 years all clear round about now or sometime very soon.  Met Vatch and his lovely wife Claire in Edinburgh a couple of months ago and he regularly posts on Facebook so I'm delighted to report that he is fit and well and just celebrated his daughter's graduation from Portsmouth Uni with First Class Honours in Biomedical Science - what a clever girl!

Hi

Great news all way round   It’s Gary aka Vatch whose blog I found just over a. year ago who helped me in my early days  of  diagnosis n treatment . If u contact him let him know Hazel aka Radioactive Raz is now one year since treatment started and am doingbok I still update my blog . 

Plus like you we’ve s small tight bunch of us who have already met up and send private messsges almost daily. 

pass my congratulations on as well re their clever daughter

Hazel c

Hi

Great news all way round   It’s Gary aka Vatch whose blog I found just over a. year ago who helped me in my early days  of  diagnosis n treatment . If u contact him let him know Hazel aka Radioactive Raz is now one year since treatment started and am doingbok I still update my blog . 

Plus like you we’ve s small tight bunch of us who have already met up and send private messsges almost daily. 

pass my congratulations on as well re their clever daughter

Hazel c

Hi Hazel, I'm in touch with Gary via Facebook and have just passed on your message.  I think his 5 year anniversary must be around the end of this month or early August.  Wonderful to read that you too have a tight-knit gang who have supported each other all along the way. I've just had a quick read through your wonderful blog (methinks inspired a bit by Gammraygary ;).  I still have a few weird food issues, which I doubt will ever leave me now, but with the 5 year all clear under my belt , I consider it a small price to pay.  As you quite rightly said at the start, when you get that bloody scary diagnosis your first thoughts are the darkest.  I thank my lucky stars that I was born in the 50s and not a decade or two earlier, otherwise I probably wouldn't be here to sing the praises of CRUK and the ever-increasing number of cancer survivors.  I've just sent a wee donation to your justgiving page.  Sorry it's not more but I just sponsored several folk doing wonderful fund-raising stuff (for CRUK, Macmillan and other cancer charities).

Well done you - good luck!

Hi

thank you so so much  I haven’t received notification yet but will keep my eye out the amount doesn’t matter like Tesco say every little helps. Our grandson gave me £1 st the weekend which lol I gave back to him Sunday morning plus a bit more as he stated in bed past 0700 am.   Yes gamma ray definitely inspired me. Our little gsng really motivate each other with tips and jokes. Agree glad we were burn in the 50 s as have heard horror story’s if wall bricks being used to hold your head in place   Shudder the thought. 

Thsnk you once again it means so much 

h xx

Sorry Hazel, don't know what went wrong, I must not have finished the transaction.  Took me a while to find your donations page again, but it should be through now.  Best of luck, Irene x

Hi Irene

Thankmyou very much for your kind donation I will report back ca after I’ve done  the ride in the 27 th. yes they have notified me that you’re donation is there thank you investigate again

Hazel xxx