My mother had tongue cancer almost 5 years ago. A portion of her tongue was removed with no reconstruction. She underwent as much radiation as was allowed. She just got her sense of taste back. Now, the cancer is back. After her surgery a month ago we were told it was field cancerization. Now, after being referred to a specialist there is a tumor attached to the jaw bone. I'm overwhelmed by all the information regarding a fibula flap. Her surgery is scheduled for May 5th.

Carter,

You will be hearing from some members that have had the same surgery as your mom. You have come to the best source of information and support on the internet.

It would be helpful if you post some information in the signature area of your profile so that everyone reading your posts won't have to keep going back to your original post.

Just go to "My Stuff" above and scroll down to the bottom of the screen.

I wish your mom good luck with her treatment.

Carter,

My husband had jaw reconstruction surgery with a fibular flap last November. In his original cancer surgery, they removed a portion of his jaw that eventually collapsed after radiation. That deterioration (osteoradionecrosis) made it impossible for him to chew and eat normally. The procedure is complex but very effective.

The fibula is a non weight bearing bone in the lower leg. In the surgery, an Oral/Max removed the necrotic jaw bone, realigned the jaw and placed a titanium bar to hold it together. Meanwhile, the Plastic notched out pieces of bone from the fibula. Along with the notched bone, he also removed the skin, tissue and blood vessels. It is a complete package that will be grafted into the area where the jaw has been removed. The blood vessels are grafted to an artery and vein, usually in the neck.

The donor site on the leg, will get a skin graft from either the thigh or some other area to cover the wound. Clark did have pain in his leg which made the first two weeks difficult to get around. He used a walker and had plenty of pain meds. It is a long procedure from 6 to 10 hours.

There wasn't much bulk to the skin and tissue on his lower leg, and while the surgery was successful in alignment and placement of the bone, the flap of skin had to be replaced. He had an additional surgery on April 5th to re-contour the area on his face with a larger island of skin from his torso.

We are so pleased with the results of the surgeries. He can eat and chew normally and he looks like himself again. He has very little discomfort and it has only been 2 weeks since the last surgery. It was a lot to go through but seeing him with his new jaw and "old" face, it was worth it.

The Plastic Surgeon was really good at explaining everything to us. He even drew pictures that helped us understand what he would be doing.

Clark did not have a trach for either surgery which was great. Keep asking questions. The more you know, the better prepared you will feel. All my best to you and your Mom. And let us know how she is doing. This is a wonderful group of people who can offer lots of information.

Anita

Welcome to OCF, Carter. Im sorry to hear of your mothers illness. Its terribly scary for everyone when cancer returns. If your mother has computer access, please have her join our forum.

I have gone thru a jaw removal and reconstruction. Last August I had an extended stay at the hospital for my 10 hour operation. I now have a jaw made of steel and plenty of battle wounds (scars). Its not an easy surgery to recover from. Im still trying to return to my previous active self.

The docs may take some skin from her wrist area or thighs to use on her face. She may have a feeding tube and a trach. Ask for a possey muir type so she will still be able to talk. It worked for me, thanks to Charm and Pete who told me about it. It may take a long time to heal due to having radiation in this area.

Please ask lots of questions, here are some you may want to ask the doc. How long is the operation? How much of her jaw will be removed? How many docs will be operating? Will she require a feeding tube and a trach? If so can the feeding tube be inserted during the same operation? Is a plastic surgeon going to be helping with the operation? What kind of recovery time is she looking at? Will she need rehab (walking, speech)?

We are here to help you and your mom get thru this. Best of luck with everything.

Thank you Christine, Anita and Jerry,

My mom's name is Christine =) We know her surgery will be 12-14 hours. The are removing the center to left side of jaw bone and as much as is necessary to get a clean perimeter. Currently we have met her plastic surgeon and the main cancer surgeon. She will require a feeding tube and trach, which will all be done within the same surgery. I know she is looking at a 7-10 day hospital stay. I will have to ask about further recovery time and rehab. The dr. did say he may use skin from her chest area if he needs skin, which is a possibility.

Thanks for all the information and the questions that I need to ask.

Linda C