I was back in Calgary last week for another MRI, trying to find a solution for my ongoing problems with my TMJ and left ear.

Since surgery in 2006, my TMJ has deteriorated to a point of almost no function due to arthritis. I have also developed oesteoradionecrosis of the left temporal bone, resulting in bone growth into my middle ear, a ruptured ear drum and constant pain.

I got the results of the consult and MRI today...my surgeon is recommending that I have either a prosthetic joint installed to replace the TMJ, or simply removing the joint completely and leaving a fibrous connection ( permanent feeding tube would be required).

As an added bonus, he is recommending that I have a mastoidectomy and temporal bone resection, with a vascularized flap from my scalp to cover the repairs.

In "Doctor Speak" it is a "rather complex and significant procedure"...translated by my cousin, who is an oral surgeon to mean a 16-18 hour procedure...again.

They want to do both surgeries simultaneously due to the risks of damaging the facial nerve, and I will not be able to have the surgery done at home...there are no Doctors here capable of this level of complexity. I will have to have it done in our old home town, 600 miles away.

On one hand, I look at this somewhat philosophically...I'm lucky to be alive and having to deal with "long term" issues.
on the other hand, my surgeon is pretty frank; they have very few patients that have survived long enough to face these types of problems, so much of the work needed is, for lack of a better term, "experimental"...they simply don't know if I will have any significant improvement, or any improvement at all for that matter, either functionally or pain wise.

On the other hand...I'm so sick to death of having one Doctor or another carving my head up like a Christmas Ham, I want to grab two handfuls of hair on my head, give it hard yank and run screaming in frustration into the forest.

Well....that was quite a rant, wasn't it? I feel better now; thanks for reading it this far, and I apologize for having a "pity party" here without sending out any invitations.

I think that right now, I'm NOT going to think about this too hard. We are leaving for a mental health break to the Dominican Republic in three weeks...I think I will put this whole thing on "ignore" until after we return from vacation.
Once we return from Holidays, I'll get my head back in the game and get the surgery scheduled.

Rant over...carry on.
Wayne