i have been trying to get some info on this forum and though maybe you can help.my cousin has cancer in his lower jaw bone and they are looking at replacing the lower jawbone with bone from his leg.the problem he has been in a nursing home for the last seven years and he is a wheelchair he still can get himself in and out of it. he is sixty three and has some other issues with his memory and its up to his sister if he should have the operation,she wants my opion on what to do because i go see him almost everyday.i know its a lot to put him through but i think he should have it his chin doesnt look good now and i dont think its right not to do something.i talk to him about it and he would like it done.dont know if he fully understands what involved.saw him a couple of times looking in the mirror at it so i know it bothers him even though he is not having any pain.his sister agrees with me but some others dont even though they have not seen him in months.sorry for the long message but i am hoping you or some one you know can give their opinon dotors app. on monday surgery the following week.thank you for any advice

Ive been corresponding with Freddy thru PMs. My advice is to have the surgery. Hope some other who have gone thru a mandibulectomy will also give him some help.

Hi, Freddy,

I agree with Christine that he should have the surgery. If he does not have it, his jaw will deteriorate more until he'll have no function at all. Then eating by mouth will become impossible. He is still young at 63. My husband was 65 when he had his mandibulectomy using the fibula. It is a big operation but very doable.

You are a good and caring cousin in that you spend so much time with him. Plan on continuing this as he will need your support following the surgery. He'll come home with drains in the area below the jaw and possibly one in his leg. Most of the discomfort my husband experienced was in his leg. If you familiarize yourself with his procedure and learn what to expect after he returns home, you and he will be better able to get through it.

My husband had a peg tube placed one year before his mandibulectomy before radiation. We were so glad he had one as it was a godsend for this procedure in that he could get his nutrition. I don't know how he would have handled eating by mouth had he not had a PEG tube. Maybe some others here can offer their insights on this.

Come here often, too, as there are many on this site who have been through this procedure.

My best to you and your cousin-
Anita

thank-you Christine and Anit

Thank-you Christine and Anita his surgery is schedule for Oct.first

my cousin had his surgery the docter took less of the jawbone out and some of the roots on his tongue.he has no bottom lip so they moved his top lip around a bit.his mouth will be smaller but the doctor said he has full function in his tongue and feels he can eat in time.they are going to try to get him to drink next week.the nurse has a different opinion.like to get some answers from anyone who been through it.

Freddy;
From what I can gather, every mandibulectomy is different. It depends on what part of, and how much of the mandible needed to be taken, how many teeth are left and, probably of most importance, how much of the surrounding soft tissue needed to be resected. I lost 2/3 of my mandible but the surgeon was able to save my lower lip and tongue through the use of some skin grafts and a titanium plate. Your cousin will learn to deal with whatever he has in his own way. He probably won't be eating the same things in the same way as he did before but he will find whatever works for him. After a period of emotional and physical adjustment, people tend to define for themselves a new sense of "normal" and simply get on with their lives. I am facing several more reconstructive surgeries and hope to regain most of my formal dietary habits but radiation has forever reduced my ability to produce saliva and has narrowed my esophagus at the epiglottis so some foods that I formally enjoyed are simply off the menu for me now.

I wish your cousin the best of luck. He will need quite a bit of emotional support as he adjusts to his new reality.

Richard is correct, every mandibulectomy is different and the doctors take different amounts of bone and tissue. Recovery can be long. After one year reconstruction is usually something many of us have had done. How your cousin looks today is not how they will look once everything has healed and they have their reconstructions. Best wishes to your cousin with their recovery!

thanks for the info did not know about any more surgery for reconstruction is this a personal thing or something that they do

[quote=ChristineB]Richard is correct, every mandibulectomy is different and the doctors take different amounts of bone and tissue. Recovery can be long. After one year reconstruction is usually something many of us have had done. How your cousin looks today is not how they will look once everything has healed and they have their reconstructions. Best wishes to your cousin with their recovery! [/quote]

Hello everybody...my mother-in-law is having her surgery 10/10 and my husband is very anxious about it. I can feel his fear. I want to get an idea of how serious is this surgery. They are removing her check muscle on the right where the cancer is. Then partial mandubulectomy depending on the size of the tutor for now they see 2cm but it could be bigger. they will use a titanim plate for the reconstruction. They also mentioned a flap, they are getting skin or flesh from the underarm. That part I do not understand...can some please expound on what this means. Thanks