Little Details

My main character is a girl who had her tongue cut out at a relatively young age (10~12 years old). The world she's in is very closely connected to spirits and gods, and has a fair amount of magic, so I'm not worried about the healing process as much as I am how it affects her down the road.

What I can't find is this: How would having only 1/3 to 1/2 of one's tongue affect eating, swallowing, and things related to that? Obviously, she wouldn't be able to speak very well, if at all, and that's fine. In fact, it's pretty key that she doesn't speak, so that's not the issue. I've tried experimenting with not using my tongue while I eat, but that failed pretty spectacularly. (My tongue kept insisting on moving!) XD

Terms I've already searched: Tongue injury, effect of tongue injury, eating without tongue, tongue injury affects eating, tongue cut out (er...this one got me a lot of things about cow tongues I never wanted to know), and one other I can't remember offhand. I've also run searches on various piercing information sites, to see what can happen when a piercing goes wrong, since I think the overall effect would be relatively similar. What I've found has either been irrelevant (see also: beef tongue) or unhelpful (aftercare information, for example) Other suggestions for searches are welcome, but if you know a site that would have more info, please feel free to link to it.

[edit]Thanks guys! I think I have a good bit of research to dig through now!

I'm having trouble figuring out how the hoop works into a classical plate tutu, where it fits, I mean. Does anybody have a picture of the underside of a hooped tutu or can anybody explain to me how/where the hoop is sewn on a really tapered one like this?

Setting: Contemporary, USA,
Scenario: Patient has been in coma for a few weeks after heavy bloodloss and trauma from being attacked by a vampire. (He was actually turned to a vmpire but was subsequently turned back) He has now awakened from the coma and is mentally alert and responsive. How long would they keep him in hospital after waking up? Would he have physiothearapy? Would there be any restrictions on what he is permitted to do upon release from the hospital? I am aware that after even a couple of weeks in a coma, some wasting of muscle would occur and I presume that physiotherapy/rehab  would be needed to get him back on his feet again.

I have Googled for the answer to this question, but didn't have a lot of luck. Google search turns up plenty of information on care for people in Post-Coma Unresponsiveness or Minimal Responsive states, but doesn't seem to have much on what they do with someone who comes out of a coma and is mentally alert and responsive.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks