Hello Fred, From my experience and many posts on this forum it will take quite awhile to heal. I know you want your old voice back but it may take many months and you may have a slightly "new" voice. We all have had to adjust unfortunately with cancer but winning the battle beats the alternative. My story is similar to yours but I had base of tongue HPV SCC cancer.
My story if it helps...I had TORS surgery April 2023 to remove base of tongue tumor ( negative margins during surgery). At the same time I had Radical neck dissection to remove the lymph nodes on one side of Neck and sent off to Pathology. 2 nodes had cancer. I was considered Stage 3. I had 30 rounds of Proton Radiation June 2023 to "cleanup" any cancer that may have been left behind from HPV16 base of tongue and Lymph nodes on one side of Neck . Also I had NO Chemo. l was very worried about going on a feed tubing , Dysphagia and Not being about to swallow (eat or drink). I started doing mouth,Neck, tongue and swallowing exercises prior to proton Radiation. If you have a Speech therapist they can help you with this. Also, There are tons of Youtube videos on the subject. It was a struggle to eat during radiation and I FORCED myself. You will lose appetite and everything has no taste. Today 24 months out of radiation treatment I would say I am about 95% back to normal with minimal side effects. Head and Neck Radiation is a real tough deal. I would go for as little of radiation as possible as it is the gift that keeps on giving long after treatment. I did get some slight lymphedema in my chin area but it only lasted a couple of months. De-escalation with a lower Gray dose/less treatments is becoming a new protocol in many places. I would discuss with your Doctor. Is Proton Radiation an option for you? In my opinion, Proton is more targeted with less side effects. However, It is a battle as insurance companies do not want to pay for Proton when Photon is much cheaper. Also, Proton facilities are far and few in between. Also, My first NavDx I think was around 20 or so prior to surgery. I have had 3 since and all were 0. In closing you are facing a very winnable battle but make no mistake it is a difficult journey. . I firmly believe if you have faith the Good Lord will get you through anything. Good luck to you.