Chris and Cheryl,

Thank you for responding to my intro about my mom. It has been tough going through this as a loved one and feeling as if I'm not doing enough or saying the right things. I am very grateful for your feedback.

We are all encouraging her to eat/drink and exercise. Tonight she told me she is doing the best that she can as far as eating/drinking is concerned. She has emphasized too that she is still in the process of getting the hang of her new routine with the obturator and self-care regimen. I will try to motivate her to exercise more and eat better, especially since you both noted that radiation is likely to be a greater hurdle than what she's already experienced as a result of surgery.

On a different note, she has left the obturator out of her mouth for periods of time during the day and while asleep at night and has had difficulty putting it back in. (Any thoughts on this, I wonder?) Her doctors said it would be okay to leave the obturator out and only use it when she talks or eats. It definitely needs to be readjusted and thankfully she has an appointment with her prosthodontist this Wednesday.

Another issue my mom is dealing with is how she sounds when she talks. She hears her voice echoing in her ear when she talks and feels she doesn't sound right. Although her speech is different, I've tried to assure her that I can understand her just fine. Friends and relatives have called the house but she doesn't want to talk to anyone for fear that nobody will be able to understand her on the phone. She is self-conscious about her voice. I'm hoping after a couple of months when her mouth has entirely healed and she has become more accustomed with the prosthesis, that she will feel better about the way she sounds. Wondering if you have any thoughts on this?

Thank you both again for addressing my concerns; your responses were very comforting.

Maura