Yes they had to rebuild my tongue. They transplanted skin from my breast. My tongue is no longer the same size as a normal tongue. It does affect your speech but I have speech therapy and lots of exercises I can do. It does help. Right now most people can understand me except for one the phone. But it is going better. The more you practice and talk the easier it gets. I am now a year into this. Meanwhile I'm also dealing with a case of fibrosis in my chest and neck from all that radiation. It is a long recovery and some days are hard but it does get better although slowly.