About me
I'm Jude, and this is the face behind Jude's Health Journey!
I live in a beautiful part of Scotland with my partner, Duncan. We enjoy live folk music, holidays in our caravan, and simple pleasures like listening to the birdsong in our back garden. We love spending time with friends and family, sharing food and maybe a Friday night cocktail!
I was diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2002. Since then I’ve had several recurrences in my tongue and other parts of my mouth. I've had a lot of surgery which means that I find eating difficult.
Preparing and consuming food is a daily challenge, and I hope that via this website I can help others who are facing similar challenges.
My Story
My journey so far
Diagnosis and initial treatment
The story that leads to judeshealthjourney.com starts with a small lump on the right side of my tongue, which I noticed in late 2001. I used to have a bit of trouble with my wisdom teeth, and I thought the lump was caused by my tongue rubbing against my teeth. My dentist and the surgeon who treated me both agreed - so much so that the possibility of it being cancer was never even brought up! In June 2002 I had a small operation to remove the lump and was sent home with a follow-up appointment.
During the follow-up appointment, I was told that the lump was a cancerous tumour and I would need to have another operation to remove the rest of it. I was 25 when I got the cancer diagnosis. I had another operation to remove the tumour, which by then I could actually see growing back. There was also a margin of healthy tissue removed to make sure that there were no cancer cells left behind.
After the operation, talking was difficult due to the amount of tissue that had been removed. I had a course of speech therapy and that was very effective - my speech returned to normal. Eating was tricky though, because there was this hole in the side of my tongue which food would fall into! Once my tongue had healed, it remained painful and my consultant called it 'unstable'.
Secondary tumour
In early 2004, I noticed a lump in the right side of my neck which turned out to be a secondary tumour in one of the lymph nodes. I had an operation, known as a 'neck dissection', to remove all the lymph nodes from the right side of my neck. This was followed by a four week course of radiotherapy.
The first recurrence in my tongue
Later in 2004, a biopsy showed that the cancer had come back in my tongue. I had a much bigger operation to remove a larger section of my tongue and replace it with a tissue graft taken from my left forearm. The tissue graft is called a 'free flap' and it means that the tongue can move relatively normally.
The operation was a success. The tissue graft took well and the donor site in my arm also healed well. After a period of convalescence and more speech therapy, I was able to talk and eat, and life went back to normal.
Precancerous changes
Over the period from 2005 to 2021 I was under close review, because my tongue remained 'unstable'. Nerves from my tongue grew into the free flap, which went from being numb to being very painful. It developed sores from rubbing against my teeth, and became infected by candida (oral thrush). During this time I had countless biopsies and multiple operations to remove precancerous tissue from my tongue.
Recurrence in my tongue and mouth
In 2022 biopsies showed a further recurrence of cancer in my mouth. Cancer cells were found in my original tongue tissue, the free flap (which is very rare), the floor of my mouth and the soft palate at the back of my mouth. I had several operations before my consultant felt that enough tissue had been removed, and no cancer cells had been left behind.
By the end of 2023 I had lost the bottom molars from the right side of my mouth, some tissue from the back of my mouth and throat, and all of the free flap. Without the free flap, my tongue movement is extremely limited.
Speech
After each operation, I have had to adapt and learn new ways of forming sounds. With the help of speech therapists, I can now speak fairly normally. I find that amazing considering how little I can move my tongue! It is tiring though, as I have to put a lot more effort into talking than I did before.
Eating
Eating is very challenging, because my tongue just can't move enough or reach very far. I can only eat foods that are soft or easy to chew and that hold together enough for me to move them around my mouth. Being unable to chew properly has also caused problems with my stomach and gut, so I have to work hard at keeping my digestive system as happy as I can!
Looking forward
Thank you for reading my story! I am really excited to be creating this website and blog and I have lots of experience, information and recipes that I look forward to sharing with you.
About title
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Proin dapibus, tortor at suscipit tincidunt, mi lorem hendrerit massa, quis auctor urna tellus nec lectus. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nam luctus sagittis orci sit amet cursus.
About title
We love to cook. Etiam iaculis dapibus dui in rhoncus. Sed neque tellus, egestas non ante nec, blandit pharetra neque.
Tortor at suscipit tincidunt, mi lorem hendrerit massa, quis auctor urna tellus nec lectus. Aliquam erat volutpat.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
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And that's all there is to it!
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Future Plans
Will be ...
An epiphany!
In early 2024 ...
Future Innovations
As we venture deeper into the 21st century, the horizon of communication technology continues to expand, promising revolutionary changes that could redefine how we connect and interact. One of the most eagerly awaited advancements is the full-scale implementation of 5G technology. With its remarkable speed, minimal latency, and unparalleled connectivity, 5G is poised to usher in an era of seamless communication, powering not just our devices but also enabling the Internet of Things (IoT) to flourish. From self-driving cars to smart cities, 5G's potential is limitless, offering a network infrastructure that will shape the digital landscape for years to come.
Future Innovations
As we venture deeper into the 21st century, the horizon of communication technology continues to expand, promising revolutionary changes that could redefine how we connect and interact. One of the most eagerly awaited advancements is the full-scale implementation of 5G technology. With its remarkable speed, minimal latency, and unparalleled connectivity, 5G is poised to usher in an era of seamless communication, powering not just our devices but also enabling the Internet of Things (IoT) to flourish. From self-driving cars to smart cities, 5G's potential is limitless, offering a network infrastructure that will shape the digital landscape for years to come.
Future Innovations
As we venture deeper into the 21st century, the horizon of communication technology continues to expand, promising revolutionary changes that could redefine how we connect and interact. One of the most eagerly awaited advancements is the full-scale implementation of 5G technology. With its remarkable speed, minimal latency, and unparalleled connectivity, 5G is poised to usher in an era of seamless communication, powering not just our devices but also enabling the Internet of Things (IoT) to flourish. From self-driving cars to smart cities, 5G's potential is limitless, offering a network infrastructure that will shape the digital landscape for years to come.
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