Hi Wendy

If Steve was reading this thread I would say to him;

I suggest you get medication immediately to help get you through the anxiety of going to HBO treatments. If it is ORN, the bone WILL NOT heal by itself. You are not only being stubborn, but also foolish. You should follow your medical team's advice.

The more you do NOW to help with healing, the less pain and stress you will be creating for yourself further down the track. No one wants to continually put themselves through treatments, but sometimes we HAVE to do things we would rather not. Osteonecrosis can spread through the bone. The treatment is similar to the removal of cancer. The surgeon will keep removing parts of the jaw bone until he/she can get clear healthy bone with good blood flow. The less bone removed, the less amount of bone will need to be replaced. Obviously this means a shorter recovery and healing time. The more you do to help yourself now, the better you will be later.

Having the jaw (mandible) replaced and reconstructed due to ORN or cancer is treated the same way. The treatments are brutal. Once our bone structure is cut and shut, it can be a long horrible process recovering. It can cause permanent life changing damage.

Karen