It has been a few weeks since I posted about Carol but do visit here every day, I suppose to reassure myself that there are others fighting OC, survivors and caregivers alike, with all the complications, the side effects and how people are living with it.
Last month Carol was diagnosed w/recurrence of OC - 2cm mass invasive SCC of the anterior left lower jaw with the mass sitting on the mental foramen. This mass was found within 3 months of completing aggressive radiation TX (maximum) and 6 weeks of carboplatin for left tonsillar pillar cancer. As a result of this mass the left side of her chin, mouth and lips are numb and even after surgery she won't have any feeling in the area. A few weeks ago they increased her fentanyl patch to 100 and they replaced Lortab with morphine for breakthrough pain. The Lortab might as well have been water as it didn't help with Carol's increasing pain level.
The plan, up to the time she went into OR, was to perform a tracheostomy, ND, resection and mandibulectomy using the scapula free flap. The tracheostomy went well, they removed all the left lymph nodes....the problems began when they started the resection. The more they cut out the more cells they found. The cancer had spread and gone deeper into the jaw bone (all this within a month!). As a result they had to remove the entire left mandible and replace it with a titanium bar. They sent the nodes and tissue from the floor of the mouth to pathology. It'll be a week before the results are back. The Doctors believe this mass is associated with the tonsillar pillar cancer. The surgery lasted 10 hours and the OR nurse called me every couple of hours with progress reports.
At this point I don't know what to think. Waiting another week to find out if there's clear margins or if it has spread. God I hate that word, IF!
It's too soon to tell Carol about the surgery. She's pretty much out of it, but knows when I am there as she seems to be relaxed...if there is such a thing! It'll be a few more days before they will allow her to wear her amplifying device so she can hear. I'm torn between it being a good thing she can't hear the suctioning and all the noises associated with ICU or a bad thing. I can't even begin to imagine what's going through her head. A person having major surgery, can't talk, can't hear...it's just not right.
I'm off to the hospital. They moved her to a room with longer visiting hours - 12 hours! None of this 1 to 2 hours, then "you must leave" for a couple of hours crap.
Linda
