Will I be able to swallow again?

Hi Dani If I've read Sue's profile correctly she had surgery in December 2022 and  again in May of this year but the margins were not great so she had radiotherapy.  Is that not a reoccurrence 

Hi Mick, my first tongue operation on the right hand side was operated on December 2022 then I had follow ups every 3 months and the 2nd cancer was in the same place and was operated on in March this year (2024). The reason I needed a deck dissection was because my consultant wasn’t happy with the 3 mm margin which should have been 5mm. Hope that answers your question.

Sue 

Hi Sue, hope you are feeling a little better. Do you mind me asking if RT was offered for the first tongue cancer x

Mick 28.12.22 said:

Hi Dani If I've read Sue's profile correctly she had surgery in December 2022 and  again in May of this year but the margins were not great so she had radiotherapy.  Is that not a reoccurrence 

I’m sorry Michael. I should have paid attention. I just looked at the thread. 

No need to apologise xx 

Hi, no it wasn’t offered RT after the first operation as I had a clear margin of 5mm which the consultant was happy with 

Thanks Sue.  I had my operation in  January 2023 with with a sentinel node biopsy.  My first review i was advised that we had  good margins.  Now 1/2 yearly appointments but   just reinforces what other have said to be vigilant between appointments and make sure that we attend reviews as arranged.   Hope you are feeling better soon and best wishes for the future.  

Hi Mick, yes defo keep going for check ups. I really thought it was all over after the first op. One good thing is that everything happened so fast I never had time to think about it. I’m just praying that the RT will work and I manage to speak a bit clearer once it’s all calmed down. Good luck for the future 

Hi Sue do you find your speech a little changed after your tongue operation. Mine was the same after head and neck op but few weeks after RT finished I feel it a little slurred not much but just a little . Thank you 

My mouth was on fire for a few weeks. You’re early days. Every week gets easier. Keep a diary and you’ll see just how much you improve. At 6 weeks all they wanted me to eat was small amounts of yoghurt. Don’t be afraid to use the rig. It’s a blessing.