How do you eat if you have no tongue?

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asked Feb 14 in Other- Health by macronshoos (2,680 points)
How do you eat if you have no tongue?

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answered Mar 29 by Gingerzebell (18,940 points)
If you have no tongue then you will need to eat with a gastrostomy feeding tube in the beginning and then you can begin eating normally after you heal.

If you had part of your tongue removed then you can eat by mouth normally.

You can eat after tongue removal just as you would eat with a tongue but you should eat softer foods especially in the beginning.

You can talk after tongue surgery although it can be hard to pronounce some words and be able to be understood for some words you say.

People who have had a total tongue removal will need to use a pen and paper or a tablet or computer etc to communicate as they will not be able to talk since the tongue is involved in speaking.

It is not painful to have your tongue removed although you may have some slight pain after surgery for awhile but you'll be given painkillers to control the pain.

You'll be sedated during the actual tongue removal surgery so you should be unaware of the tongue removal.

Foods you can eat after a glossectomy are sweet potatoes, whole grain foods, soup, fresh fruit, pudding, smoothies, mashed potatoes, fish, applesauce, yogurt, vegetables, Tofu and eggs.

You can talk after a partial glossectomy although it can be hard to talk and be understood by other people when part of your tongue is removed.

Glossectomy is a medical term that is used to describe a variety of procedures which result in the surgical extirpation of part, or all, of the tongue.

A glossectomy is most commonly performed for the treatment of malignant and premalignant lesions of the oral tongue.

Major glossectomy is a radical form of treatment with significant associated morbidity.

Usually, it is considered a palliative procedure because of poor survival in this group of patients.

The location that cancer of the tongue has a poor prognosis is the anterior two third of the tongue, the lower alveolar ridge and the floor of the mouth.

Cancer of the tongue or carcinoma on mucosal lip have a better prognosis.

The life expectancy of someone with tongue cancer is 5 years although some people with tongue cancer have lived longer and some people can be fully cured and live normal lifespans if caught soon enough.

Stage 1 cancer of the tongue is the earliest stage of tongue cancer and means the tongue cancer is 2 cm or smaller and is 5 mm or less and has not spread to nearby tissues, other organs and lymph nodes.

Stage 1 tongue cancer looks like a lump on the side of your tongue which touches your teeth and the lump will usually look like an ulcer and will be grayish-pink to red in color and bleed easily if bitten or touched.

Most people survive tongue cancer when it's caught soon enough as around 85 out of 100 people diagnosed with tongue cancer survive at least 5 years or more.

Tongue cancer is highly curable when caught soon enough although tongue cancer can still be fatal even when it's cured as it may sometimes come back.

The earlier you catch and treat tongue cancer the higher chance you have at surviving the tongue cancer and being fully cured of it.

The first signs of cancer of the tongue are pain or burning feeling over the tongue, numbness in the mouth that will not go away, pain when swallowing, a sore spot, ulcer or lump on the tongue that does not go away, a sore throat that doesn't go away and a red or white patch on the tongue that will not go away.

Cancer of the tongue is curable when it is diagnosed and treated quickly and early enough although it can be harder to cure if not treated early enough or diagnosed early enough.

over time the tongue cancer can spread to other parts of the mouth and other areas of your neck, head and other parts of your body.

The difference between tongue cancer and mouth cancer is mouth cancer can occur anywhere in your mouth and tongue cancer occurs on your tongue.

Tongue cancer is cancer that begins in the front two thirds of your tongue.

Mouth cancer is cancer that develops in any of the parts that make up your mouth or oral cavity.

The age that tongue cancer is common is age 40 and older.

Tongue cancer can occur at any age but it's most common in people 40 years of age and older and can be treated with radiation therapy, chemotherapy and even with surgery.

Tongue cancer usually starts in the thin, flat cells which line your tongues surface which are called squamous cells.

Tongue cancer which starts in these cells is called squamous cell carcinoma.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the anterior two thirds of the tongue is the second most common oral cancer, with the lateral border being the most common location.

The symptoms of tongue cancer are a lump on the side of the tongue that touches the teeth.

The lump often looks like an ulcer and is grayish-pink to red.

The lump bleeds easily if bitten or touched.

Tongue cancer is the most common area of mouth cancer in the U.S. and occurs in the front two-thirds of the tongue (base of tongue cancer is known as an oropharyngeal or throat cancer).

Tongue cancer is known to be high risk for spreading to the lymph nodes within the neck.

Symptoms of tongue cancer are also very similar to symptoms of other types of oral cancer.

These signs are often mistaken for a cold that won't go away, or a persistent sore in the mouth.

Other tongue cancer symptoms may include: Persistent tongue and/or jaw pain.

Mouth and tongue cancer can cause pain or a burning sensation when chewing and swallowing food.

Or you might feel like your food is sticking in your throat.

In early stages, tongue cancer can be treated by surgical removal or radiation therapy.

One surgery, called a glossectomy, may be performed to remove part or all of the tongue.

Cases in more advanced stages may have surgery followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

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