Well its me again. Back with the sick feeling in my stomach not able to eat or think about anything except my mom and what if she is having another recurrance.....

She went to her ENT on Thursday and he says it looks like she is healing nicely he can still see the exposed bone and when he taps on it my mom cannot feel it and she says that is not where the pain is coming from but it is coming from a spot further back in her mouth. He presses on that area and it really hurts her. My theory and correct me if I'm wrong is that even though the bone is dead in that area the pain could be coming from the dead bone. Her doctor agrees that it could be because the bone is definately a continuam (sp) and it could be hurting there because of infection or something but he seems a little concerned. According to him he does not believe that she would be healing if it was a recurrance and he says that it does not have the appearance of any cancer he has ever come into contact with so his feeling is about 80% that the pain is being caused by the exposed bone. If he was more concerned he would have biopsied that day in his office (quote). She will see the dentist on Monday and he will try to knock off the dead bone but as of right now she is scheduled for more surgery to scrape down the bone and to remove the tissue around the area to be biopsied. She will be in the hospital for 4 days and this time he is giving her a feeding tube. We will get the results of the biopsy on Tuesday after the surgery. This is all very overwhelming to me and I have that horrible feeling once again.

I talked to my mom and asked her what she thinks and she told me that she believes it is a recurrance. I don't know if she feels that way because of the past or because she is preparing herself but at any rate I am extremely concerned and scared. I know thats its not cancer until they say that its cancer and I'm getting by on that right now but my heart will be broken and I do not know what I will do if this is indeed another recurrance. She told me she will not have any additional surgeries after this one and when I told her doctor that he told me that.... Head and Neck Cancer treated is horrible but Head and Cancer untreated is a persons worst nightmare and he assured me that he can very convincing if he has to be.

So for now what I guess that I am asking is that you all pray for my mom Barbara because we all love her so very much and this will be more than we can take.

Thank you,
Dani

Dani,
don't get ahead of yourself here. Exposed bone is a logical place for entry of bacterial infection, maybe even osteomylitis (which is a bacterial infection in the bone marrow). Have they tried a round of antibiotics yet? It could be ORN (OsteoRadiaNecrosis) as well.

Bone infections are areas of concern. I had ostemylitis as a child and it was very serious. I was bedridden for almost a year.

Dani, I'll offer the same advice as Gary, don't borrow trouble as we say over here. Also on top of what Gary says there's a lot of nerves that run the length of the jaw that can cause what I call "misplaced pain." Had a wisdom tooth that hurt and felt the pain in the front of my jaw. couldn't figure that one out until the oral surgeon explained it all.

Also, tumors aren't necessarily tender to the touch from what I understand. It's natural for your mom to feel the way she does though, just try and keep her focused on getting better and not thinking it's a recurrance. Sounds like her doc is on top of things.

Bob

Dani,

I agree with Gary - don't get ahead of yourself worrying about the "what ifs." I know that's easier said than done as I find myself at times wondering when the next shoe may drop. But I try to think of all the things that are going right for me right now rather than what might happen later. It sounds like your mom is getting good care and her doctor and dentist are staying on top of her exposed bone and pain. I will continue praying for your mom, and you, as I do for all my friends here on the board. Prayers seem to be a way of life now for me - kinda like breathing. Take care and be strong. Sending good vibes for good results on Tuesday.

Hugs, Nancy

Saying prayers for you and your mom, Dani... I know first-hand that the waiting and what-ifs can be excruciating... I sat by the phone for an entire day a few months back, waiting to hear from my ENT after a biopsy, and I jumped through the roof every time the phone rang...

Like the others have said, think through options and what-ifs but try to stay in the moment and not let the not-yet-confirmed possibilities overwhelm you too much... And be sure to remind me of this whenever I go back through the ringer of tests and the like... Be well...

Dani,
Adding my prayers in as well. I know the feeling all to well of waiting and wondering...I ask God everyday to keep me in the moment and then I try not to go to the future in my mind. Although, I am a worrier by nature and it's so hard. God does give me peace and strengh as I need it.

Praying it all turns out well and is maybe an infection which would be a logical and good scenario.
Deb

Dani
What can I say, stand fast girl, grit your teeth and we will all pray that this is an infection, bad enough in it's self but I'm sure you can deal with it..
Walk in the sunshine when you can..
Prayers love and hugs
Helen

Dani
My husband is currently taking HBO treatments and has an IV injection of an antibiotic 7 days a week. His treatment is for jaw bone being dead after radiation for back of tongue cancer. An oral surgeon tried scraping the bone away about every two weeks and it still was not healing. The doctors have said that bone can not remain exposed as it is a great source of infection. If the HBO treatment can do it's job of promoting healing they will do a graft to cover what ever is left of the jaw bone. His teeth were all removed before radiation began but the damage was done anyway. Hope your doctor or dentist gets some antibiotics started. My hopes and prayers are with you. Charlotte (caretaker of Windyjoe.

Thank you all so much for your responses they have really helped me get through the weekend.

Gary-they had her on a couple types of antibiotics and that is why the doctor and the dentist were so impressed with her healing. Its just the pain now that we are all concerned about. That too is another reason why the doctor says that it is not common for the area to start healing if there was a new tumor there.

Charlotte,
Is the area painful where the bone is exposed painful for your husband? If so what type of pain is it? My mom says that the pain she feels is not the same as it was when there was a tumor this so this too gives me a lot of hope that it is not a recurrance.

Well now all we can do is wait. She goes into the hospital this Friday for the surgery and is expected to stay until Monday as long as everything goes smoothly. You are all so wonderful. I will keep you all posted as soon as I know more.

Dani

Dani when I had osteomylitis I got weekly injections of penicillin for almost a year. If it's a bone infection it can take a long time to treat. Some areas with poor blood circulation take much longer to treat also. Radiation does a number on the capillaries in the bones (in the treatmen area) and that's why ORN can be such a problem - the body can't get enough blood and antibodies to fight infections there.

I have another update as my mom returned from the dentist today and he does not want or feel it it necessary at this time for her to undergo the surgery. He shaved down the bone and he wants to see if it will heal without any further surgery. He consulted my moms ENT and they agreed that we will see what happens next before she will have the surgery. The dentist does not feel that there is anything suspicious in her mouth and wants to try to let the area heal on its own and see if the pain will subside.

My mom only had one pain pill today and says that it is already starting to feel better so you can only imagine the relief that I feel right now.

Thanks again for all the prayers and comments. They helped me so much.

Dani