Hello everyone! I am new here. A brief background: I am 51 years old, wife and mother to 2 adult kids. Non-smoker and very occasional drinker. Last year - out of the blue - what I thought was just a tongue ulcer turned out to be cancer. I had surgery to have it removed, spent 2 weeks in hospital with 3 drains and an NG feeding tube.
I was VERY LUCKY - they managed to excise all the cancer and I didn't require any chemo or radiation. However, I now have a flap attached to my tongue as part of the reconstructive surgery.
Over the year, everything has healed well (again, I'm very lucky) but I am constantly "catching" the flap when I eat as it sits almost touching my teeth (it's on the left side of my tongue). I went for my checkup today and we discussed the option of debulking the flap. I just wondered whether anyone here has had this procedure and could let me know how it went, what the recovery was like and whether it has improved their eating/speaking. I was told they will only take a small bit away and re-shape the flap so it creates a better shape to the tongue.
Thanks everyone!
HiSaffaGal74 Pop your question into the Head and Neck Cancer group. Just click the link I made
I can tell you though that flap debulking surgery is not uncommon and works well. I would go for it
Dani
Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019
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