Hi, my name is Vince and I had a ten hour operation to remove the growth in my neck in Queen Mary Hospital Hong Kong last August the 20th and Permanent Tracheostomy. I still produce a lot of gunk in my in my stoma. I've lost all sense of smell and I have slight tinnitus which a local GP also British (like me) said was most likely due to the operation. Not only did I have the operation but also underwent 30 days Mon-Friday targeted radiotherapy interspersed with 3 sessions of chemotherapy. My throat was rebuilt with muscle from my left breast, I have a large stiff tendon on that side leading to my shoulder. My oncologist said it might take up to six months to get back to regular eating, but with the help of turmeric tea I was eating properly after 3 months, have lost some weight but all of my friends say I look very healthy, even the terrific nurses in Ward E1 where I stayed said I looked well! I am DESPERATE to regain my speech. I refuse to learn to "belch speak" or use an electrostatic device (useless in Hong Kong) which is so noisy. I really want the Provox device which a good friend said he'd pay for (it's HK$20,000) for the operation in Hong Kong, though I hear on the NHS it's standard procedure which I don't think I would qualify for as I've been out of the UK since 1982. My local New Voice Club tell me they're prone to leakage and I have also just heard about the "Aum" device Dr Vishal Rao's device from India. I have tried to contact him via Twitter but I guess he's a very busy man. My wife of 30 years from the Philippines has become an expert at cleaning my stoma. I will see my specialist on the 24th of this month. In the meantime I will see my private GP Dr Jonathan Foster who has a British trained ENT specialist in his practice who can do the right endoscopes etc so that I have a second opinion at hand before I see my specialist at QMH. Do you think I should try to go for the Provox or not?
