Hello,. I have just been diagnosed with cancer in my voice box which is going to be removed soon, and then I will be breathing through a hole in my neck. Then hopefully I will be able to speak via the prosthesis. I believe that it will be up to 3 weeks in hospital. I am a positive type of person and it would be interesting to hear from anyone who has had this done, and how long does it take to get used to the new way of breathing and talking.
Hi Tom and welcome. There are a few people here who are Larys so I’m sure you’ll get wonderful support. My first husband had a laryngectomy in 1987. He coped very well and his speech with a TEP was excellent. It is life changing but life is good afterwards.
Dani
Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019
Hi Tommo, had this done in Sept 2020, so can help with some things but not with the speech part (mine was a "salvage" laryngectomy as I'd had radiotherapy in 2014 so too much tissue damage to fit a voice prosthesis).
It's actually quite surprising how easy it is to adapt to it in my experience, there's absolutely no different breathing sensation at all, feels just the same as before, so I'd say it takes no time at all to get used to neck breathing. The maintenance of the stoma becomes second nature as does the use of your medical supplies.
The TEP, as I understand it, takes a bit of care but I've no personal experience of that, though I have "spoken" to many people online and in the flesh who have one, and they sound great, not at all "robot-like," you'll even keep your accent if you have one!
I was in hospital for four weeks initially and then another week with an infection, but the longer than expected stay was down to failed swallow tests, hopefully not being "salvage" you'll get an easier (relatively speaking) ride.
Feel free to ask anything, great you have a positive attitude, no reason you won't get back to life pretty much as normal in fairly short order, good luck with it.
Metastatic SCC diagnosed 8th October 2013. Modified radical neck dissection November, thirty-five radiotherapy fractions with 2xCisplatin chemo Jan/Feb 2014. Recurrence on larynx diagnosed July 2020 so salvage laryngectomy in September 2020.
Hi, I had my Laryngectomy in 2020 and like yourself I am positive, I was out in 2 weeks and returned to work after 3 months, you will find it takes a while to get used to all the required attention to a routine of cleaning and the baseplates take a bit of getting used to, your speech therapists will be by your side all the way through. Don't be frightened of the stoma you will get braver with it I am still sometimes frightened to clean out at times but you would have to be really roothless to damage anything.
Another site that will give you loads of information is the National Larygectomee Association -https://www.laryngectomy.org.uk/
Stay in touch if you want anything and hope evrything goes OK, just be careful and ask loads of questions if they say you need Radiotherapy after as the side effects are quite dramatic, I declined as the cons outweighed the pros, and luckily I have just had it for a different cancer which I wouldn't have been able to have had and it affected my stoma awfully and have only just got it back to normal.
Take care Tony
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Onwards and Upwards
Voicebox Cancer- Laryngectomy 2020 and Oesophagus survivor 2022
Adminitrative Assistant at Frimley Park Hospital, Cancer Support Hub
