What happens if you have trouble speaking after cancer treatments?
If you need surgery on your tongue or other parts of your mouth, such as removing lymph nodes or tumors, you may have trouble speaking. For some people, this is temporary. But for others, it can be permanent.
Surgery on your voice box or vocal cords can change the sound of your voice and make it hard to communicate. You may need to use an assistive device to speak after the surgery. Or you can learn a different way to communicate.
If you need a breathing tube after surgery, you will also learn how to speak with the tube in. You may need to use a special device to make sounds.
Your doctor or speech therapist may give you exercises to do at home. These exercises train your muscles to work together and help you swallow and speak more clearly. A speech therapist can also show you how to use equipment that may allow you to speak again.
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