On December 20th I travelled to Miami to have Dr. Marx perform a left hemi mandibulectomy for radiation induced osteosarcoma of the mandible. After 3 days in the ICU, 7 days in a regular hospital room and another week staying in the Miami area waiting for a follow up appointment and clearance to travel I have arrived back home. The surgery lasted 13 hours and I awoke with a tracheostomy and no ability to talk. Thankfully, the trach was discontinued the day before I went home and I have regained the ability to talk to the point where I can be understood on a phone. I am still unable to effectively chew or swallow and have an appointment with a speech pathologist to work on that. The space where the left 2/3 of my jaw used to be is now spanned with a titanium plate covered with a skin flap from my back which is still connected to its blood supply by extending a portion of the trapezius muscle up my neck and into my mouth. I am happy to say that the graft is a 100% success. In about 7 months or so, the plan is to travel back to Miami to begin the process of reconstruction with the ultimate goal of having new teeth implanted into a new jaw bone grown from a matrix of morphogenic bone protein.
I would love to communicate with others who have had a mandibulectomy.

There's a few of us here Richard that can field questions and relate to you my friend. I'm very glad to hear that the surgery was a success and that you are talking already! My jaw was wired for months after mine so I didn't talk much at all.

Keep us updated!

Eric

There are a few here who've had similar surgeries ! So glad you came out of it well! Keep us updated and welcome!

Great news surgery was successful and you are home. Sounds like you are doing well!

Nearly all my mandible (lower jaw) was removed in 2008 due to osteoradionecrosis (ORN). Since then I have undergone several surgeries for teeth implants and other reconstruction issues caused by the mandiblectomy.

Best wishes for a smooth recovery.

Karen

Richard I am so pleased your surgery was a success! Ive also undergone a mandibulectomy. Actually I have done it twice since my first one failed and it had to be redone. I slept thru the whole thing LOL! They kept me in a medically induced coma for 3 weeks.

I know recovery is not easy. It took me a very long time, but I had more than my share of complications. I am amazed at how well you are doing for only having this surgery on Dec 20th. I ended up due to my complications getting stuck in the hospital for 2 months. My eating isnt the best but I am able to eat oatmeal, some soups and yogurt to name a few things. Have patience you will get back to eating again in time. Im happy to see you are already taking steps to get help from a specialist with this. Keep up the good work!!!!!

Your procedure is different from what I or the others here who have had a mandibulectomy have undergone. Please dont be a stranger. I would love for you to keep us posted on your recovery. We can learn a great deal from what you have gone thru. It can help others who are afraid to have this procedure. Of course we are all unique and will have slightly different results, surgeries, etc.

Best wishes with your continued recovery!

Richard,
Congratulations on sucessful surgery.May you continue to experience good results. As you probably realize by now there is no normal or average here but those of us who have had the mandibulectomy continue to get along in one way or another. It takes lots of patience and acceptance of new limitations but as someone on the forums once said "at least we're on this side of the grass."

WOW Richard, you are recovering great after such a big surgery. I too had a mandibulectomy but only lost 2 teeth so not a semi. Once you are given the clear try to eat and drink often to rebuild that muscle. Although it took me nearly 2 years, I can now eat fairly normal meals again.

Best of luck!

Richard,

I was checking periodically to see how things turned out for you and I was pleasantly surprised to see that you checked back in with us recently. It is good to hear that the BIG surgery is behind you and that you are on the road to healing.

My husband also had a mandibulectomy by Dr Marx, exactly one year to the day before your surgery. His was different in several ways. For one, there was no graft, because there is no plan for him to get implants.

Starting in the summer (six months after surgery), everyone has been telling my 81 year old husband how good he looks now, and it is true! It seems that he got a kind of face lift in the process. Hopefully, you, too, will get those kinds of compliments later this year.

Keep the faith! It is a long and trying process that requires alot of courage, but the end result should be worth it. Best wishes for continued recovery.