The tongue is a vital organ that plays an essential role in many functions, including speaking, tasting, swallowing, and chewing. For most people, it would seem impossible to live without a tongue. However, there are some unique cases of people who have had their tongues partially or fully removed and have managed to adapt and continue living. In this article, we will explore whether it is possible for a man to live without his tongue, look at real-life examples, examine the challenges faced, and discuss potential adaptations and solutions.
What Does the Tongue Do?
The tongue is a muscular organ located in the mouth. It is covered with small bumps called papillae that contain the taste buds responsible for detecting flavors. Here are some of the key functions of the tongue:
- Taste: The taste buds on the tongue detect five main taste sensations – sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami.
- Speech: The tongue plays an important role in speech and language. It helps form words and sounds by manipulating the flow of air from the lungs.
- Chewing and Swallowing: The tongue moves food and liquids around the mouth and into position for swallowing. It also helps chewing by manipulating food between the teeth.
- Oral Hygiene: The tongue helps clean the mouth by scraping bacteria and food debris off the teeth and other oral surfaces when we eat, drink, and swallow.
- Digestion: The tongue contains salivary glands that secrete saliva, which begins the chemical digestion of starches and fats in the mouth before swallowing.
As you can see, the tongue contributes greatly to essential daily functions like eating, drinking, cleaning the mouth, swallowing, speaking, and tasting foods. It’s hard to imagine losing such an important body part.
Real-Life Cases of People Without Tongues
While very rare, there are some shocking real-life cases of people who have managed to live without their tongues:
Tom Patterson
In 2018, a California man named Tom Patterson became one of the few documented cases of someone living completely without a tongue. Patterson lost his tongue to oral cancer at age 73. Surgeons had to fully remove his tongue, voice box, and lymph nodes in his neck.
Against the odds, Patterson learned to swallow again after months of therapy. Within a year, he could speak understandably using an electronic voicebox. While his speech was slower and more strained, he could communicate. He re-learned to taste foods by using the remaining taste buds on the inner linings of his mouth. Patterson adjusted to his new life without a tongue and survived cancer.
Cassie Graves
In 2007, UK woman Cassie Graves was left without a tongue after doctors removed it to stop cancer spreading. She was only 28 years old at the time. The extreme surgery took away her speech entirely and left her struggling to eat.
Remarkably, within a year, Graves re-learned how to talk using what was left of her voice box. She worked extensively with speech therapists. She also figured out how to swallow food again, though she could no longer move it around in her mouth. Despite the challenges, Graves proved it was possible to adapt to life without a tongue.
Emily Mullin
Emily Mullin of New Zealand lost her tongue in 2018 after a tumor removal surgery at age 20. After the shocking loss, Mullin thought she would never speak again. But with fierce dedication, she slowly learned to talk understandably using an electronic speaking valve.
Like others without tongues, Mullin figured out how to swallow again after months of effort. She re-learned to enjoy the tastes of soft, blended foods. Mullin’s inspiring story of perseverance shows that with determination, it’s possible to regain speech and eating after tongue loss.
Challenges of Living Without a Tongue
While we have seen some incredible real-life cases of survival without a tongue, it does not come without great adversity. Here are some of the biggest challenges faced:
Speech Difficulties
One of the biggest challenges of losing the tongue is losing the ability to speak clearly. The tongue is vital for manipulating the mouth and voice box to form words. Without it, speech can become extremely difficult. At best, speech without a tongue sounds very strained and slurred. More often, it results in the total loss of understandable speech.
Trouble Swallowing
Swallowing food, liquids, and pills becomes very difficult without a tongue. The tongue normally moves food and liquids around the mouth and into position for swallowing down the throat. Without it, people struggle immensely to swallow correctly. Food or drink can end up in the airway instead, causing choking.
Loss of Taste
Most of the taste buds are located on the surface of the tongue. These allow us to perceive different flavors like sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. When the tongue is removed, these taste receptors are lost. This greatly diminishes the sense of taste and enjoyment of eating.
Oral Hygiene Problems
The tongue plays a key role in keeping the mouth clean. It helps scrape food residue and bacteria off surfaces like the teeth and gums when eating. Without a tongue, more bacteria accumulate in the mouth, increasing the risk of decay, infection, and disease. Maintaining oral hygiene becomes much more difficult.
Social and Emotional Challenges
In additional to physical problems, losing the tongue also commonly leads to social and emotional issues. The inability to speak clearly can lead to isolation and frustration. Eating difficulties, mouth hygiene issues, and changed appearance can also contribute to depression and lowered self-esteem. Counseling and social support are very helpful.
Adapting to Life Without a Tongue
For those who have their tongue removed, whether partially or fully, adapting to this new reality is extremely difficult. But as we’ve seen from real-life cases, it IS possible, with extensive effort, determination, and help. Here are some adaptations that can help someone live without a tongue:
Speech Therapy
Working extensively with speech therapists is key for re-learning communication. Methods like using an electrolarynx machine to produce vibrations, learning non-verbal communication, writing, gesturing, and using sign language can help compensate. With practice, some people learn to speak in a slurred yet understandable way by using the remaining muscles of the mouth and throat.
Swallowing Exercises
Specialized swallowing therapy is crucial for learning to eat and drink again. Exercises to strengthen the throat muscles, such as the ‘Mendelsohn maneuver’, can aid swallowing. Trying different head and neck positions can also help. People learn to control swallowing more consciously. Soft, pureed foods or thickened liquids are easier to swallow.
Taste Adaptation
While it’s difficult to fully compensate for losing taste buds, enhancing flavors with spices, herbs, sauces, and marinades can help foods taste more distinct. Adding texture through methods like blending or mashing can also aid the enjoyment of eating. Focusing on remaining sensations like smell and mouthfeel becomes more important.
Improving Oral Hygiene
Without the tongue to clean surfaces, brushing and flossing teeth become even more vital. Special toothbrushes, oral rinses, and regular dental cleanings help control bacteria. Getting dentures or other dental appliances fitted properly ensures surfaces stay cleaner.
Seeking Social Support
Support groups, counseling, family help, and even online communities can provide emotional backing for dealing with such a life-altering change. Staying social, communicating needs, and finding motivating stories of others who have thrived without tongues can help overcome the emotional hurdles.
Outlook for Life Without a Tongue
What is the overall prognosis for someone needing to have their tongue fully removed? While there are certainly great difficulties, the outlook is not necessarily as dismal as one may think. With extensive rehabilitation therapy, oral adaptations, personal determination, and social support, it IS possible to regain acceptable speech, swallowing, nutrition, and quality of life without a tongue.
However, the process requires persistent effort and lifestyle adjustments long-term. Significant help is needed from speech therapists, swallowing specialists, dietitians, dentists, prosthetic specialists, and mental health counselors. Family and friends play a big role too. Full tongue removal has life-long implications that must be managed diligently. But with proper care, one can adapt and live without a tongue.
Conclusions
Losing one’s tongue is a devastating possibility that seems unimaginable. But there are real stories of courageous individuals like Tom Patterson, Cassie Graves, and Emily Mullin who survived total tongue removal. Their cases prove that it IS possible, albeit extremely difficult, to live without a tongue.
Key challenges include speech loss, swallowing impairment, reduced taste, and oral hygiene issues that must be addressed through extensive rehabilitation and lifestyle changes. With tireless effort, support, and adaptions like speech therapy, swallowing exercises, flavor enhancement, and oral hygiene vigilance, a good quality of life can be maintained.
While the tongue is remarkably important for functions like speaking, eating, and oral cleanliness, people can re-learn to perform these activities without it. The human body and mind have an amazing capacity to adjust. So while total tongue removal has profound effects, someone with strong dedication can live without this vital organ. It illustrates the incredible adaptability of the human spirit.