Dear Members,
I feel happy to become a member of this group. I am a Medical Oncologist from India and had developed Cancer of the Cheek. I underwent surgery for the same which included a wide excision with a Palatal flap as well as a skin graft.I also underwent an elective neck dissection on 2nd of August 2007. I am 41 years old with my wife and 2 lovely kids. I had the misfortune of bleeding twice from my facial artery after my main surgery and had to undergo two more surgeries for the same in short succession.
Anyway I have overcome my depression and fear to a large extent and I sincerely thank my wife and my friends for the same. I have problems with mouth opening and cannot eat solids yet. I am still happy about the fact that it was removed in toto and am slowly starting to resume my work

Welcome Dileep, I am glad to hear you are doing well and also glad you found us.....Keep posting....Carol

Thank you for joining us Dileep.
I'm sure your knowledge and experience will be invaluable to members. Glad you are recovering well
Brenda

Hi Dileep;

Very pleased you joined the group, and that your treatment is progressing favourably.

You mentioned you had trouble swallowing solids; I presume you are using a feeding tube for the majority of your nutrition, and that the swallowing difficulty is largely a result of the neck dissection and other surgeries, is that correct?

I am on a feeding tube as well, and also experience difficulty swallowing. I have had terrific results using the Therabite Jaw Motion Rehabilitation system in the short 2 months I have used it. Although most of my problem is a result of the radiation treatment, swallowing issues are resolved with the same basic procedures. I can now open my jaw 27mm unassisted and 37mm using this stretching device, and can now follow proper oral hygiene as well as swallow a lot easier and more naturally. It seems to have adjusted my lower mandible to permit a more open and unrestricted passageway for what is being swallowed. You may want to look into the device just in case you need other solutions at some point.

I wish I had found out about this device much earlier in my treatment program, like during the radiation phase, and things would be a lot easier now. Let me know if you'd like any further info, or you can do a search of this website using "Therabite" as a keyword. There's approx. 54 hits as of July 2007!

Good luck with your rehab, and I'll look forward to reviewing your updates over time.

Best regards,
JT2

Welcome Dileep,

Nice to have you as a member. I guess as a medical oncologist you found it just as ironic as I did when I found out that I, a dentist, had oral cancer.

We welcome your input, as I am sure that your medical oncology background will allow you to provide help and support in areas that none of us can provide.

Jerry

Hello Dileep,

Glad to hear you are doing well now. AS Jerry said I am sure it was Ironic to you . However I am sure your knowledge can help many here. And we are all here to help and support you as well . for all of those unknowns.

I am glad to hear you have the support of your wife and freinds...that is what helps us through times like these. best wishes to you and know that we are always here.

Shar

Dileep,

Welcome!!
I'm sure you will find the OCF site a wealth of support, information and beautiful people.

I know you will be a welcome resource to this site and all who visit.

Cheers,

Mike