I have yet to hear of anyone being successful at getting their insurance to pay for implants. I had to pay for mine out of pocket. Good luck with that one!

Well, I will post it here because I did something wrong on the post. I had surgery last Feb to remove part of my jaw and replace it with my shoulder bone, which is kind of a new thing. I had excellent doctors, plastic surgeon had done this many, many, times and had never had a failure. Then came me. I had a 15 1/2 hour surgery. It took me 3 days to come out from the anesthesia. I was in intensive care for 14 days because they wanted a nurse to look in my mouth every hour to check for failure. I was not allowed to eat or even swallow water the entire time of 19 days in hospital. After coming home on the 22 day, I had a blood vessel burst and had to be rushed to the ER where they had to go back and remove dead bone and such and leave it as was. That was a 5 hour surgery. I was on narcotics and in bed so long, it took me forever to recover. I cannot chew on that side and my mouth caves in a little, but I would never go through that again unless my cancer returned. I am leaving well enough alone. It is different for everybody. Don't let someone elses easy time fool you or my hard time. I think it is just luck and how your blood vessels lock up to a new jawbone.
I now have bone loss happening because of the holes they drilled in my bone to put the new bone in. I go back in March now for a panorex to see if it is continuing. I just thank my lucky stars I am cancer free today and think how it would be if I had to worry about that too. I feel blessed to be able to live, even if I have a crooked smile.
Debbie

WOW! Debbie, what an ordeal! Thank you so much for sharing it. EEK! I am so sorry that YOU had to be the one with the failed surgery.

Did you have to have radiation at any point in your treatment?

Was the vessel that burst the one that was harvested from your back and inserted into your neck?

This is a scary story, for sure.

I wonder if there is something that they can use to stimulate bone growth. I know that there are products in use now that involve ground bone, and bone marrow, mixed with artificial elements, and, when used in certain applications, can stimulte bone growth. I'm sure your doctors know better than I do what is possible. I am a great one for wondering "if" and "why not."

Thank goodness you are cancer-free. I read some of your other posts, and it seems that you lost two teeth and the bone that went with them. Is that right? Is it your wisdom tooth that now is trying to come out? That's too bad, since that would be the anchor tooth for any appliance or bridge. Is there no type of filler that could stimulate re-ossification of that socket, so that you could, down the line, have an implant installed?

Mike and Jerry.....Am I making things up here?? probably.....

I have lost five teeth and the bone that went with them....would have been six, except that I had already lost the wisdom tooth. I think that the upper jaw....the maxilla...is easier to work with since it does not move and has all of the facial bones to work with in reconstruction.

That's my story and I am sticking to it! I want to believe that, so I will!! I hope it's true.

Nobody has responded who has had maxillary reconstruction. The leg issues would be the same, but the oral part of the surgery would be different in many ways. I guess you are still installing bone and tissue, and connecting an artery in your neck to keep the graft alive. All of that is the same.

Malka...you mentioned the desire to have dental implants....My prosthodontist has said that I cannot have actual dental implants..but that the implants that he will install are for to secure a dental appliance....like a bridge, exc. that there are no teeth to hold a bridge. This way, the appliance does not have to clip onto ANY teeth.

I will continue to listen and gather information. Debbie, thanks for sharing your story. I wish you the best. I hope that you get solutions for your problems.

Hey there,
There is nothing they can do for the bone loss, they think ir will stop, but they cannot be sure. Thus, we wait for more xrays and see. If it does not stop, I am in for a lot of trouble. So much so that I cannot think about it. I just pray it will somehow stop. I take calcim and vit d, but it did not have anything to do with my bones being strong. I have very strong bones. My fingers and toes are crossed. I have not been a bad person so far in this life, so I am wondering why? But I am exercising, walking a lot, taking vitamins and I feel very good.
Just the tooth and pain at night with the cheek. I want to be as strong as I can be.
Please think long and hard. I am a lot younger and still do not want anyone to touch my face again!
Debbie

Debbie,
Hasn't anyone suggested Zometa infusions to you?
I'm having it to slow-down/prevent further bone-loss from my jaw.
Bren

Hey Bren

Hey Bren-
Sorry-I quess I hit a wrong key-but over here in the us they will not prescribe bone loss meds for people with jawbone loss because of fosamax and other things like that that have been accused of causing the bone loss they were prescribed to cure!
So-no help there.
How are you doing Bren-I have been so worried about you!
I am hanging in there and trying to stay calm and not go bonkers which is what I am famous for doing. I will have to have extensive surgery to replace my face if I lose more bone. Scary!! I am really scared and praying too. '
You are a miricle my Bren. You are. Please give me an update.
Do you still have to wait until 30th?

Debbie....did you have radiation as part of your treatment? My heart aches for you as you endure pain, and uncertainty and fear. I can hear the fear in your voice, but it sounds like you are coping well. I don't know that I would be taking this as well as you are. Keep writing. I'm learning lots, though our specific situations are different.

I do think that the leg bone (the fibula) is less likely to be rejected for some reason.....better blood supply, probably.....and the upper jaw is MUCH easier to work with, since it doesn't move, and since there are lots of bones up there to use for support.

It is, however, awfully nice to be all healed up......and well healed, thankfully....so it is difficult to think of going back into surgery and disrupting this good result.

I have a lot of thinking to do. Keep writing! Thanks.XO

You are right about being healed up. I had to have physical therapy to move my arm again after neck disection. I just hope I never have to have all that again. I did suffer from depression and my doctor just ignored me. He is brilliant but he has no bedside manor. Just all business and I did everything he said to do.
Think long and hard. You are doing the right thing by searching for answers ahead of time. I have found very few people that this has failed on but I quess they may not be on here. This is the only place I search usually.
Do you have other sights that offer such good information?
This one helps quite a bit but I feel like a loner sometimes because I am a failure!! HAHA That sounds like "poor me" but it's not. I am laughing at myself because it is the truth.
I had radiation for 3 days. My neck and jaw got so swollen that I could barely breath. They gave me a break, it went down, and they said they could put in a trach so I could finish. They also said the trach could get welded into my throat permanently. At that point, I could not eat or swallow anything but water and ice cream. I could not talk because of a lisp (former public speaker) so the thoughts of not being able to breath just sent my off the deep end. I quit, they yelled at me literally, and I go depressed. I thought I was going to die anyway and I did not want a trach. My husband cried but said he was behind me. I did know that I had nothing in the margins and nothing in my lymph nodes and that the radiation was insurance for micros hiding away.
To this day, I still have days that I wish I had finished and then I have days that I am happy I stood my ground when I read some of the things that happen years later. I don't know. I just remember the radiation oncologists telling me the odds were in my favor for it not to reoccur. He did say he would have to have chosen the same path. We don't know and all the doctors are different. I had 3 doctors tell me different statistics for me and then I took Brian's advice and quit listening to statistics. You can prove or disprove anything that way.
Keep on asking questions. I don't know of anyone who had a shoulder bone used? Anyone out there heard of this? Maybe that is why it failed?
Debbie
"

Debbie,, there are no failures in here, just some that have more to endure than others. I find what you have been thru as more than usual and you are very brave for posting the results. Maybe these will help someone else tha is going to go thru it. I try to read all of the posts because one never knows what we are likely to develope I have you in my prayers and will keep reading your posts.