| Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,627 | Hi Viki,
My name is Minnie and I had similar surgery to yours. April 16th of 2003 I had the lower left side of my jaw removed and they used the bone from my lower left leg to make me a new jawbone. I also had a left neck dissection with 6 weeks of radiation. A year later I still have a small amount of swelling under my jaw, surgery side, and a bit left on the incision for my neck dissection. I had the trach for a few days but it was out long before I left the hospital. I also had a feeding tube placed when I had my surgery and had it until December 2003.
My jaw operates quite well and I am eating most anything I want just slower. Some of my saliva was saved do I am lucky for that.
Please ask me any other questions you may have about this surgery.
Take care,
Minnie
SCC Left Mandible. Jaw replaced with bone from leg. Neck disection, 37 radiation treatments. Recurrence 8-28-07, stage 2, tongue. One third of tongue removed 10-4-07. 5-23-08 chemo started for tumor behind swallowing passage, Our good friend and much loved OCF member Minnie has been lost to the disease (RIP 10-29-08). We will all miss her greatly.
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