New poster who seeks similar treatment experience - 10-29-2015 06:24 PM
Greetings all.
I've been reading both new & old posts for the past couple of days - it was rather overwhelming at first! Of course, my issue could be due to the PTSD of returning to the 'land of treatment' rather than to all of the available information that the forums participants have shared. In any event, I feel very fortunate to have found this site.
My husband, Ross, is scheduled for Mandibulectomy & Fibula Free Flap Reconstruction surgery at the beginning of December. His pre op appointments are in a couple of weeks and I'm sure that the surgery information binder will come home with him at that time. Until then, I've done a little digging and found Sloan Kettering's handout on line for this procedure.
My Question: Would you guys have any suggestions that you would care to share about this kind of (horribly invasive) surgery? A few of the forum poster's suggestions that I've noted pertained to pain relief (alternating between 2 different kinds for extra pain coverage), Trach (I forgot the name of the one that may permit some level of talking) & PEG tubes. Average amount of weight loss to expect? Questions that I don't realize that I should be asking?
Anything and everything that you would care to share would be of great value to me. Ross is uninterested in reading about this next surgery. His focus is on making it through. I'm the one having to become prepared for his after care. I'm not certain that I have the level of expertise needed to handle a PEG & trach tube(s).
[He had a NG tube back in 2008 that I fed him through after he was released from treatment. (His weight plummeted from 165 to 108.) Currently he has zero saliva, his esophagus is 75% occluded & weighs 143 lbs]
I realize that our situation is a walk in the park compared to those forum warriors experiences that have posted here. Thanking you in advance. Valerie
I've been reading both new & old posts for the past couple of days - it was rather overwhelming at first! Of course, my issue could be due to the PTSD of returning to the 'land of treatment' rather than to all of the available information that the forums participants have shared. In any event, I feel very fortunate to have found this site.
My husband, Ross, is scheduled for Mandibulectomy & Fibula Free Flap Reconstruction surgery at the beginning of December. His pre op appointments are in a couple of weeks and I'm sure that the surgery information binder will come home with him at that time. Until then, I've done a little digging and found Sloan Kettering's handout on line for this procedure.
My Question: Would you guys have any suggestions that you would care to share about this kind of (horribly invasive) surgery? A few of the forum poster's suggestions that I've noted pertained to pain relief (alternating between 2 different kinds for extra pain coverage), Trach (I forgot the name of the one that may permit some level of talking) & PEG tubes. Average amount of weight loss to expect? Questions that I don't realize that I should be asking?
Anything and everything that you would care to share would be of great value to me. Ross is uninterested in reading about this next surgery. His focus is on making it through. I'm the one having to become prepared for his after care. I'm not certain that I have the level of expertise needed to handle a PEG & trach tube(s).
[He had a NG tube back in 2008 that I fed him through after he was released from treatment. (His weight plummeted from 165 to 108.) Currently he has zero saliva, his esophagus is 75% occluded & weighs 143 lbs]
I realize that our situation is a walk in the park compared to those forum warriors experiences that have posted here. Thanking you in advance. Valerie