Tongue Cancer

I was just diagnosed with a tumor on my tongue that may involve removing or disecting my tongue.Has anyone had this done so I will know what to expect.

In January of 2004 I had 40% of my tongue removed. They cut through the side of my jaw for the operation and installed a metal plate in the jaw. Maybe the part that is worst is the radiation treatments. It really raises hell with the inside of your mouth. My jaw opens maybe 1 or 1-1/2 inches. I have been on liquids for 2 years now. Not to mention that I have had several operations because of infections caused by the plate and radiation. Kemo lasted a month made me very sick but the radiation (every day for 30 days) has far longer lasting (bad ) effects on you. I hope your situation is better than mine. You can call me on my cell phone at --- Message edited by CancerCompass staff: for personal protection, phone number removed. Please review CancerCompass Member Guidelines at http://www.cancercompass.com/common/guidelines.html ---. Kindest Regards, Zayle

I had surgery in September 2004 on my tongue for squamous cell carcinoma. They removed 30% of my tongue. In addition, they did a partial neck disection that included an incision from behind my left ear down to the botom of my chin.

I never had a problem with my speech after the operation. The real problem was dealing with the radiation therapy that followed. I had 30 treatments over a period of 6 weeks. The side effects included loss of taste or a nasty metallic taste,and loss of saliva production(permanent). To be honest, when I got to treatment number 20 and knowing I had 10 to go, I wasn't sure I was going to make it. Also during this time I had developed ulsers in my mouth and could not eat solid food. The liquid diet (Boost) was not near adequate and I lost 50 pounds. I did however, make my way through it and after joining a health club and changing my diet to include high protein supplements, I have gained back my weight to 170 pounds which is what I should weigh. I have gone through several check ups since my last radiation treatment and all is well. If there is anything I can suggest that is worth much is to get some supplement like Cytogainer by Cytosport. It will help you to maintain your weight during treatment and you won't suffer as I did.