Can people talk after tongue surgery?

Can people talk after tongue surgery?

If you had surgery to your voice box, mouth, jaw, tongue or throat you will have problems talking after your operation. This can be frustrating and you may feel you have no control over things. Staff will be aware of this. You will have a call bell close by so you can call for help if you need it.

What may be affected by a Glossectomy?

A major glossectomy is an operation which removes a large part or all of the tongue. After this surgery your speech and swallowing may be severely affected. Generally, the more tongue that is taken out because of the tumour, the harder it will be to swallow and speak clearly.

What happens when the tongue is removed?

Total glossectomy: The whole tongue is removed. This results in an inability to swallow without getting food/liquids into the lungs (called aspiration). Because of this, a laryngectomy may also be done. Laryngectomy (removal of the larynx or voice box) helps prevent aspiration, but also results in loss of your voice.

What can I expect after a partial Glossectomy?

Your tongue may be sore initially, so we usually suggest smooth, bland foods to start with. You may also need your drinks thickened with special thickening powder. These changes to your diet will help you to eat and drink safely. Over the following days and weeks, drinking and eating will become steadily easier.

Can someone speak without a tongue?

It is highly impossible to speak without a tongue, because in the mechanism of speech, the tongue is the main organ that helps us to speak a language fluently.

How long is recovery from Glossectomy?

You should be able to tolerate normal diet by 14 days following surgery. During this period of recovery, you should avoid hard and dried foods such as nuts, since these can cause pain and predispose to bleeding.

How does Glossectomy affect speech?

Some sounds are made using your lips, so you may be able to make sounds such as b, m, p, w after a glossectomy. When part of the tongue is removed, it can be hard to speak and be understood by others. People who have all of their tongue removed will need to write and/or use cue cards to help with communication.

Can you live without tongue?

She and Wang have been looking into isolated congenital aglossia, the rare condition in which a person is born without a tongue. Rogers, their test case, is one of 11 people recorded in medical literature since 1718 to have the condition, and there are fewer than 10 in the world today who have it, McMicken said.

Is tongue surgery risky?

All surgery carries risk, including blood clots, infections, complications from anesthesia, and pneumonia. These risks are generally low but are higher with more complex operations. If the surgery is not too complex, the main side effect may be some pain afterward, which can be treated with medicines.

Does Glossectomy affect speech?

For patients undergoing total glossectomy, speech intelligibility ranged from 0% to 8% at admission and from 18% to 42% after therapy. The role of the speech pathologist is to determine the way the patients can be rehabilitated by using available structures.