They will remove a portion of his tongue and do a re-construction with a "slab" of material from his forearm. This will keep his tongue the correct length and also keep the tip of his tongue in the proper position. Eventually, eating and speaking will be as close to "normal" as they can possibly get.
They will also do a neck dissection. They will cut him from below his ear to the middle of his throat and remove 50-100 lymph nodes from as high up as his jawbone and as low as his shoulder.
We will be in the hospital at least a week. (I say "We" as I am not leaving his side!) He will come back from surgery with a bandaged arm, a feeding tube, a tracheotomy, and several drains in his neck. Hopefully, they will keep him heavily sedated for a day or two.
It is hard to believe that my husband, the love of my life, will have to endure yet another gruesome surgery. I am proud to say that he is facing this head on, no complaints. He is fighting this dreaded beast with all he's got.
I am, once again, believing in the power of prayer to get us through this long, tough journey ahead. I have faith. We will come out of this hell and be grateful it is all behind us.
