Hi Lauren,

Its been sometime and I thought I'd check how's your partner recovering and how you're holding up?

Hope all has been great!

Have you started your radiotherapy yet ?

Not yet - they are still finalizing my reports and they prefer I start 6 weeks post op once tissues have  fully recovered from surgery. So that's 3 weeks from today.

I had my operation on the 8 December started radiotherapy 3 weeks ago, I had three nodes removed

Hi irate,

I hope the treatment is going well with you.

How are things so far post operation? Neck movement/swelling and ither aspects and hows RT so far?

Neck  still swollen above scar but nothing like it was, stiff on a morning, movement not bad at all. Eating is still a soft diet as flap is still swollen and tongue still stuck up, again improving.

Be careful on the exercise front I over did it and paid the price nice and steady I do half an hour walk everyday.

The radio therapy is adjuncant for me everything cut out they're was no evidence the cancer had spread any further on my pathology report.

The radio therapy is a bit of a trial for me as I am quite claustraphobic and have trouble swallowing with my head tipped back. I have overcome most of these issues but will be glad when it's done as it is very draining.

Any questions feel free to ask

Hello, thanks for asking after us! How are you doing?

Last week was up and down for my partner as he started to get bleeding in the mouth and that put him off eating and he also had a damaged uvula from the op.

We went back to the consultant on Friday for pathology reports and although it's still a T1N0M0 they want to do the neck dissection as tumour showed signs of aggression. I guess we were half expecting that as they want to do it as a precaution as he said there's a 20% chance microscopic cells could be found.

The op is happening Wednesday! It's just one side they are doing so hopefully he'll only be in for a few days.

Will let you know how that goes!

Hi [@irate]‍ ,

Many thanks for your reply, keep it up and Im sure you will fly through this. Im wishing you the best of luck! 

I'm doing well, happy with my speech so far and doing the physio, tongue and jaw excercises I have been given. (Are those the excercises you referred to or more back to normal excercises cardio and lifting?). My neck is much better still swollen above scar and there is some numbness and my lower lip as they have expected will take some time to go back to normal. 

I am currently on soft diet (mainly scrambled eggs, fish pie and minced meat dishes) trying to maintain/gain as much weight as I can before my RT as I've heard some mixed reveiws on it's effects on eating and speaking. 

The only worry I have, there is a small gap at the end of my tongue between the flap and the tongue and not sure if that's normal.

Hi [@LDDR]‍,

Good to hear from you and I'm sorry to hear about the complications, but some patience is required and im sure your partner will manage. I wish you the best of luck this week and keep us posted, we are all in this together - atleast for me this forum made things much better!

Good luck all!

SMSM 

My neck now is not to far from normal again still numb below the jaw. I never really did the physio exercises, talking and eating and general day to day tasks did the same thing.

I did do some of the swallowing exercises speech therapist recommended at start of radiotherapy as I was told of potential issues.

I'm on the same diet as you however out of nowhere this week I have a mouth full of ulcers and they're really painful. A common side effect got given a gel to rinse mouth with.

Regarding flaps mine seemed massive and I was very worried I would be stuck with tongue stuck up and not be able to eat ever again.

Radiotherapy is shrinking the flap as I was told it would so they leave room for shrinkage.

Three more weeks to go start again tomorrow...stay positive 

Thank you [@SMSM91]‍! Yes, this forum has been a great comfort to me I have to say! Forgot to mention he also has to have a bit more tongue removed too, I presume to get negative margins as [@clara56]‍ mentioned above, I think the consultant said he only went to 3mm and they want to get 5mm.

Hard to understand everything when you're in the hospital!

I'll let you know how his surgery goes.

Keep well all ️