Im very sorry your husband is going thru this! I went back and reread your initial posts. the first post said your husband was originally diagnosed with ORN 5 years ago in 2014 so now its 7 years since he was diagnosed with ORN.

There isnt anything else that I am aware of that will fix your husbands ORN other than HBO and surgery. With it being there for so many years antibiotics (even the stronger IV antibiotics) probably wouldnt be enough to address well-established ORN.

But without having surgery to correct the ORN it will only continue to grow and the pain will increase as the ORN expands. I havent heard of a correlation between ORN which is the jaw bone dying to a recurrence of cancer.

Im sure your husband must be in significant pain with the ORN. Being in pain is not beneficial to any patient. I would ask his doc if a stronger and longer lasting pain medication such as the fentanyl patch would help him to better manage his pain. If he is in almost constant pain he would probably need at least 50mcg to start and it can always be gradually moved up or down if needed. Make sure to read and follow all instructions such as no long hot showers/baths, never to fold, bend, cut, tear rip, or otherwise damage the patch. It takes about 24 hours for it to begin working and it only needs to be changed every 3 days (72 hours). I would also ask about using a pain medication that helps to control nerve pain such as gabapentin, also called neurontin. Ask his physician if that would help him manage any break thru pain and if so to write a perscription.

I wish I had more ideas to help you and your husband. Just remember to take time for yourself too. Im sure this is incredibly difficult on you too. Try to make time for a break once in a while, even if its to take a walk around the block. A few minutes alone will help you to at least take a deep breath and clear your mind.

Best wishes with everything!!!


OCF main site--- ORN