Thanks to the people who have replied to my anguished queries...I have another now (mind racing with all these worried thoughts) As this seems a huge 9/10 hour major operation - is there an alternative and has anybody tried it and survived (and this is me still not believing I have cancer) and knowing I feel good at the moment but will be disabled!?? after the operation - why shd I do it, why shd I inflict this on myself? I was given 3 alternatives - slice my jawbone up and make me an invalid; radiotherapy which they tell me will not work as I have will saliva and swallowing problems which were not amplified at the time of telling (sounds better than the operation!); or death....nice choices uh? I still can change my mind...you never know do you

Hello John Like Vicki, mine was also a 16 hour operation and nothing can prepare you for that. At the pre-op appointment the sister told me that I would be coming into hospital a "healthy" person and that they would be making me very poorly. Like you, I felt well and couldn't imagine feeling any different. The knack is to get your mind round the fact that for some considerable time you will feel like shit but it DOES GET BETTER. You will have a morphine drip in to start with which you can press as and when you want it. As Vicki has said, take a pad and pen as you won't be able to talk for some time. There is just so much I could tell you but maybe you want to take it bit by bit. Do you have good family/friend support? You will get all the support you need from the medical staff - they are wonderful (well my lot were). I can't comment on the radiotherpay as I wasn't given that option but others on here will help you. As I said in an earlier post - no two people have the same operation (depends on how much tongue they take/ do you need jawbone replaced/lip split/neck dissection etc) All sounds very frightening I know, but you will cope and you will get through. As my consultant said "we wouldn't be spending all this money on you and putting you through all this if we didn't think we could make you better" Regards B