just wondering about tounge flap

thennies61
thennies61 Member Posts: 285
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hey gang just being curious if anyone else had the tounge flap to replace tounge?They took part of my thigh to rebuild what they had to remove.Everything is going well at least that is what my doctor.Says the swelling is way down and healing better then he thought at this time which has been a year now.Anyway have been wondering if anyone has any trade secrets about swollowing or have started to chew yet.Basically how they are managing.

Comments

  • jackflash22
    jackflash22 Member Posts: 524 Member
    #2
    Flap

    my tongue flap was made from the inside of my cheek. They sliced off a layer,left the blood vessels and muscle stiil attached  and pulled it through and over the part of tongue they removed. I can move my tongue around and poke it out. It's a bit shorter than before but doesn't feel any different. My jaw doesn't open all that wide and I have scar tissue inside my cheeks Which I bite on if I'm not careful, im so glad I never had part of my body cut to replace my missing bit of tongue. I think I may have been a guinea pig for the procedure the surgeons that did it wrote the procedure in the lancet I think. I know I read their notes somewhere. It was Mr Silva and Mr potter if you do a search of Oxford Churchill hospital. By the sound of yours it was more severe and the whole tongue it's amazing what they can do these days. I can swallow again now after my throat stricture was opened. I was told to tilt my chin downn to my neck when I swallow it opens the back of the throat? First get the food to the back of the tongue then tilt the head and swallow. ...

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    #3
    thennies61, wow, I cannot

    thennies61, wow, I cannot believe it has already been a year!!!  it seems like yesterday you were just having surgery.  time really does fly.  i'm glad to hear you are doing better than the docs even expected.  you can't ask for more than that!  congrats.

    God bless you,

    dj

  • thennies61
    thennies61 Member Posts: 285
    #4
    jackflash22 said:

    Flap

    my tongue flap was made from the inside of my cheek. They sliced off a layer,left the blood vessels and muscle stiil attached  and pulled it through and over the part of tongue they removed. I can move my tongue around and poke it out. It's a bit shorter than before but doesn't feel any different. My jaw doesn't open all that wide and I have scar tissue inside my cheeks Which I bite on if I'm not careful, im so glad I never had part of my body cut to replace my missing bit of tongue. I think I may have been a guinea pig for the procedure the surgeons that did it wrote the procedure in the lancet I think. I know I read their notes somewhere. It was Mr Silva and Mr potter if you do a search of Oxford Churchill hospital. By the sound of yours it was more severe and the whole tongue it's amazing what they can do these days. I can swallow again now after my throat stricture was opened. I was told to tilt my chin downn to my neck when I swallow it opens the back of the throat? First get the food to the back of the tongue then tilt the head and swallow. ...

    My doctor explained the whole

    My doctor explained the whole thing which I was gald he did.They took maybe alittle over half of the tounge then took muscle from my thigh and formed the replacement.He then attached it to my lower gum.I can swallow just about everything but have to cut up some of the food as I they removed all my teeth for not only to work on the tounge but as he said radition would of done alot damage.Plus since it was done during the operation my medical will pay for the dentures.It does take alittle longer to eat to get the food up and over the back of tounge and down throat.But now as all the swelling is just about gone takes a bit longer as tounge is not as swollen to help get the food over and down.I have seen a denist that is going to make customized teeth.The top will have a thicker plate so my tounge can hit it just as it use to with roof of mouth.Which will help in not only eating but speaking also.The botoms he wants to a implant.Him and surgen have game plan of trimming and moving the flap so he can get a full mouth of teeth in again.But I do still can taste everything and where the flap is starting to tingle and can feel hot and cold which the doctor is a sign of the nerves starting to heal

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