surgery? Speaking specifically of 82 yo mother, stage IV cancer, guess it was a mandibulectomy that she had 6 weeks ago, 58 LNs removed, none positive, ..dr wants 7 weeks rad, but Mom is puny (<90 lbs) and still in hospital dependent on respirator!

TIA for insight!

Sounds like your mom is in a really tough spot. There have been older persons here who have survived the treatment but it is pretty brutal.

I would suggest having a group meeting with the medical team, ICU staff, hospital social worker and chaplain to discuss the various options that she may have and proceed from there.

Wow she sounds frail... and radiation will be really really hard on her. However it may save on more surgery and a recurrence at a later time. I don`t know what I would do if she were my mom.. Maybe if they keep her as an in patient and double up on her radiation. I am not sure what it is called but it is done twice a day over a shorter time and allows for less damage to the surrounding tissues... best of luck. and many blessings to you.

Her doctors are the best ones to answer this question. They have her chart right there and know her medical history. We are mainly patients and their caregivers without medical backgrounds.

I have had a mandibulectomy and it is not an easy surgery to recover from. I had complications and was hospitalized for 2 months and I was only 46. So you may see the situation differently than I would. I know first hand how hard I had to work to get myself back on track. It took me about 8 months before I was in pretty good shape.

Is your mother able to talk? How is she feeling? Is she comfortable or in alot of pain? What I usually see is 6-8 weeks after a big surgery is when radiation starts. Is your mother being treated at a cancer center? Sorry for all the questions, its hard to remember all the details. Please add a signature so we are better able to help you. Under the 'my stuff' tab click on profile in the drop down menu. Scroll to the bottom and type your mothers info in the box. This will make it so much easier to help.

Best wishes to your mother with her recovery.

Hi, sorry for no sig! I came back on the board after 2 months of absence and I am having the hardest time getting into the board...can't remember my pw and the temp pws given to me worked once...I'm back on but I literally can't tell if I have a sig or not even tho the add sig box is checked.

Update on 82 yo mom--SCC Stage IV, mandibulectomy done 2/16/11, been hospitalized/in LTAC since with respiratory failure--

Mom has been in a dream state since Saturday. At that point she was cognizant but "sleepy". She had been r-hospitalized for blood in stool, complaining of severe stomach pain. During her stay she was treated for high potassium and nausea but nothing else was done out of the ordinary of her normal care.

She returned to LTAC Tuesday and had a respiratory arrest; she is now dependent on a ventilator and appears to be comatose--responsive only to pain. Staff did a CT scan but didn't show a stroke. They're doing an EEG today to determine brain activity.

Has anyone else gone through this? I'm curious as to if there are any thoughts about what could have happened. Thanks much.

If she's responsive to pain I don't think she's comatose. Respiratory arrest can be caused by many things - possibly pneumonia, or chest infection,. In would say that is possible considering she was in bed and on a respirator for a while. The pain could very well have caused the breathing problems as well... People tend to hyperventilate when they are in a lot of pain... Did they check to see if she had a bowel blockage? There could be more going on. I'm surprised the dr.s haven't told you anything. It's scary but your mom is frail, and an operation like she had can be a huge shock to the system. I'm not a dr. I wish l could help. Good luck with her... And talk to her while your there - it sounds like she's aware... Though not terribly responsive.