Your husband will need someone to be with him while he is in the hospital, even if he is asleep. Most of his hospital stay he will not remember. Someone should be there to speak up for him when he is out of it.

Make sure to ask for a possey muir valve trach. Your husband may have a visiting nurse come to your home after this surgery depending on what his condition is when he is sent home. Many patients will step down from the hospital to a rehab facility before going home. This would be a very good idea. He still should have someone there to advocate for him.

When he comes home he will need help with most daily living tasks. He will need help setting up his feedings. If he doesnt have a feeding pump, ask for one. This can run slowly while he sleeps making it easier to get all the necessary nutrition in. Just be sure to prop him up on a few pillows. He will need PT to work both his leg and jaw. Maybe that can be done in the home? I had a PT come to my home when I first came home from the hospital.

Im not sure what the parents or aunt will do to help. Thats something you will need to take charge of and give them tasks to keep them feeling needed. Not sure if you will need a home health aide???? It all depends on how his surgery goes and what kind of condition your husband is in when he returns home. Just remember.... everyone is different and will respond in their own way. I came home in very bad shape from the hospital and my son was able to help me. My situation is different than your husbands, I had some major complications with my mandibulectomy and it had to be redone. This is NOT common so please dont worry! Most patients will sail right thru it and in about 2 weeks they are home and doing amazingly well.

What about hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) prior to teeth removal? This is very important to avoid far larger issues down the road. Have the doctors discussed HBO with you? Is the mandibulectomy on the radical neck dissection side? If so there could be delayed healing there. HBO helps with that as well.

I would be surprised if the docs discussed reconstructive surgery already. Just remember it can be done after one year. No matter how things turn out it can be changed, so the Jay Leno chin.... that can be altered. If there is one thing Ive learned since my OC battles, looks dont mean one thing....the person inside is still the same no matter what happens outside and no one can change that.