Hi Tracy
From what I recall, mum's trachy hole did take quite a while to heal, but it wasn't painful for her or any real problem. She just had the plaster changed by the district nurse.

As for the bone thing, sorry I can't help. Mum's was in her tongue.

Hi Tracy

Sorry I can't help either on the arm but I did have a trachy. It healed in a few weeks - I think it was almost completely healed five weeks after my op. It was a bit scary at first having a hole in my throat, particularly when the district nurse took the dressing off and I couldn't speak again but, like Winnie says, it wasn't any real problem and my husband was soon changing my dressing with the District Nurse only coming in once a week to check it was OK.

Reminds me of a funny story - my mother-in-law came to stay the weekend after my op and noticed that I was holding my hand over my throat all the time. She thought it was because I was self-conscious about my neck wound and offered me a scarf to cover it up. My husband had to tell her that I had been wandering around the hospital with 32 staples in my neck without feeling the least bit self-conscious and was only covering my trachy hole so I could speak to her! It was very sweet of her, though.

Love
Gwyn

Hi Tracy
strange as it may seem it is sometimes the site that the reconstruction is taken from is actually worse than the main operation site.when burn patients have a skin graft it is usually the graft site that hurts most.
Most bones take about six weeks to heal and the trach wont take much time at all ,you will be surprised.

liz

hi tracy
everyones recovery is different i had partial glossectomy and neck dissection back last august . the trachy site takes about three weeks to heal over i had mine sutured which helped it to heal over. my neck area still remains very sore to touch due to nerve endings and the arm stiffness is quite common but with physio it will begin to get better over the coming months it is quite a long recovery with highs and lows but there is always someone here to listen to your worries or to give advice
love to you and your boyfriend
bevx

Hi Tracy, I didn't have bone taken from arm but did have bone taken from both legs (over two ops) and it took about six weeks before the plaster cast came off and physio continued for a few more weeks (on each occasion). I guess it takes a similar time for bone to grow back in the arm as it does for the leg but, as we are all different in how we progress, it might vary a bit.

My trachy site took ages to heal as there was a stray stitch stopping the process!

Best wishes to you both. Brenda

Gwyn, Your story about your Mum and the scarf made me smile. Mum's can be funny - On her first visit to me when I had the trachy in and had to write down my questions, my mother would write the reply down too, until I wrote that I know can't speak but there's nothing wrong with my hearing!!

I just want to say that, having arrived after the introductions yesterday, I missed out on everyone's 'history' and I would never have known that you have been through so much - you look fantastic. In fact I presumed you were a carer! Did the operation not affect your speech at all? It certainly didn't seem to! I heard you say you had battled breast cancer but nothing pointed to mouth cancer - you obviously had an excellent surgeon. And you can handle a glass of wine!! Well done you!

Brenda

It was really good to meet you yesterday. I have read your blog which is inspiring.

I was diagnosed with tongue cancer almost exactly four years after my diagnosis of breast cancer. I was really lucky, though, in that when they came to operate, the cancer was smaller than expected which is why my speech is hardly affected at all (just a tiny bit slurred when I am tired). I have been told that the registrar who did a lot of my op last October has since got a consultant post, which he obviously deserves! This gives me a chance to say, as well, that I am so grateful that some people choose to go through all that training and hard work to become surgeons!

Love
Gwyn