Honestly, I was a little resistant to post in this forum. My issue is a benign tumor of my nearly entire maxilla that I've had removed, but as far as the dr's have been able to tell me, as long as we got it all there is little risk of reoccurance. Though my surgery seems pretty invasive, many folks on this forum are dealing with much larger issues, and to them my heart goes out.

A little more of my background:

I am 10 days post operative for having a Desmoplastic Ameloblastoma removed from my maxilla, and a fibula free flap reconstruction of my maxilla. I lost pretty much all the bone sparing only two molars on the right side. I am at home for the 3rd day, and other than the "wired mouth" diet, am in both very good spirits and reasonable health. I can use my leg (with the boot), though there is a bit of pain walking which I expect to abate as it heals. In all honesty I think I could begin running on it if they would let me...but I will wait for approval. I do notice I get "winded" more easily (which I'm currently attributing to my body having lots of concurrent projects to fix right now)

The flap and bone in my mouth is still quite swollen and very "mottled", where sections are almost black but other sections are quite pink and healthy looking tissue. Swelling comes down every day, though not nearly as fast as I would like. The flap coloration is actually the original reason I found the site. I see the doctor on Monday, but this dark (almost black) mottling in one section of my "new and improved soft pallet" has me concerned about blood flow. In addition, my tong (really the tastebuds section) look coated and quite discolored (brown/beige) but I'm guessing that may be that I can really close my mouth due to swelling.

I would also say my sinuses, though begrudgingly cooperating, are not happy. I have so much swelling up through that area that I can feel pressure into my nasal cavity. It's not problematic in that I can breath through my nose, but I do get a lot of mucus throughout the day/evening that can block that, and I can never quite seem to clear the fairly thick secretions going on.

Thanks,

Keith

Welcome to The Oral Cancer Foundation, Keith! Im sorry to read about everything you have gone thru. Im sure you're not feeling very well after your surgery only a few days ago.

Our site is dedicated to helping oral cancer (OC) patients and caregivers thru some very difficult, potentially life-threatening situations all relating to oral cancer, treatments, recovery, etc. We do our best to help everyone we can with our limited medical knowledge. Please understand our site consists of OC patients/survivors and caregivers, NOT medical professionals. We do NOT have years of medical school/education, clinical patient experience, etc so often our hands are tied. We really do try to help but with complex medical issues we simply are not qualified to answer questions.

From my limited understanding of benign tumors you do not have cancer and are one very, very lucky patient!!! Im certain for you its no fun going thru this but at the same time your tumor is not cancer so you are in a much better place than the majority of our members. The things we know about are things for cancer patients. Talking about a tumor that is not cancerous is a completely different situation than something to do with cancer. What applies to OC patients may not be relevant to your situation.

The only piece of advice I can give you is to get the areas that appear discolored almost black checked right away. That could turn into a serious situation if that area isnt getting the blood flow it needs to heal. I dont know if waiting until Monday is an option or if this needs your doctors immediate attention. I always err on the side of caution and suggest making a call to your surgeon and asking what they recommend. Doctors always are available 24/7 thru an answering service. If your doc is off duty, another doctor will take over for them and be able to help. It wont hurt to call and get some advice. This could mean the difference between having a routine, relatively easy recovery or needing another surgery to replace the black areas. For cancer patients an area that is changing color, seeming to be turning black is a major red flag that it needs to attention right away. Im sorry I do not have the medical background to know how serious it is for a patient with a benign tumor. Hopefully its just discolored due to being bruised and isnt anything serious. You may also go thru your discharge papers and see if theres a mention about changes in color, having an area look like its turning black.

Best wishes with everything!