Hey @brad78. I was diagnosed with HPV16+ OSCC in March 2023 at 56 years old. Of course I was very fearful at the time. Since then I have learned that this type of cancer is very treatable and successful. Yours was caught early which is even better yet. I had TORS robotic surgery April 2023. I had a right neck dissection as well with all lymph nodes removed as cancer had spread to a couple of lymph nodes and TORS surgery to remove primary tumor of 3cm at base of tongue. All margins clear. Also, I completed 30 rounds of Proton Radiation in July to "cleanup" and cancer that may have been left behind. I had NO chemo. As far as presurgery I don't recall doing much but waiting for the Surgery. The biggest issue I had was dysphagia and Not being about to swallow (eat or drink) for about two weeks after surgery. I would start doing mouth, tongue and swallowing exercises today. If you have a Speech therapist they can help you with this. As far as post op. The pain is fairly severe for one week after surgery. I had alot of mucous where you feel like you are almost drowning. It will be hard to eat and drink or sleep. Think soft foods and Boost drinks. I had pain medications which helped tremendously. As of today I would say I am about 80% back to normal . It is a SLOW climb back and you will never be quite "normal" again but you will be alive. You will have CT scans and throat scope every 3 months for a year or two to monitor any recurrence. You may ask your doctor about the NavDX blood type which detects HPV16 cancer in the blood as it will help once you are being monitored in the future. Good luck to you. It will be a journey for sure but You can do it! Stay positive.