We went to the PS this morning. There is a significant amount of granulation in the two small wounds on the suture line. He used silver nitrate on it which will shrink the granulation. He wants us to keep the area moist, no scabbing, so that whatever is in there can come out. Otherwise, it becomes infected. I am so glad we saw him today. He said this is not unusual for radiated tissue. It takes longer for the tissues to bond around the metal. Going back in two weeks.

EZJim, he confirmed what you said that the number of total dives is up to the HBOT Drs. But we aren't going there yet.

The intermittant stabbing jaw pain that Clark gets could be related to nerve damage. It may resolve or...we'll handle it.

On the way home I needed to stop into the grocery store to get a few things. Clark came in with me and was choosing foods for himself. This is big. He had no real interest in eating since his surgery in November. The appointment definitely made him feel so much better.

The sun is shining and it is going up to 40F.

Anita

Hi Anita. Sent you a Private Message on Facebook. Glad to hear you got some answers to the issues. Hang in there.

Anita, I still have on whats called a wound vac. Its to help heal what had been a large hole below my ear. The wound is in a very odd place, not my jaw but not really considered my neck either. Anyway, the wound was a hole that had been the size of a quarter and 1/2 inch deep. The wound wac is helping to suck out the gunk and keep it infection free. This might be something Clark could benefit from. With the help of this machine (which is a big pain in the butt!!!!) the wound is now about the size of a q-tip tip.

This type of surgery sucks!!!!! I ended up having the first flap fail. My docs actually put leeches on me to get it to work. EEEWWWW !!!!! I was kept asleep so didnt know about that part. The recovery is such a long road. So many areas of the body are affected that its not just one thing that needs to heal. I still have the marks on my legs where skin was taken to put on my arm. Luckily they have stopped hurting. Tendons were taken from my arm and that still gives me problems. I was told it will take 1 year to recover from this type of operation.

Wishing Clark an easy recovery.

Christine, you are one tough woman. I have read most of your posts and what you have been through amazes me. Is the wound vac on all the time? The other day my heart broke for you when I read about that awful man. He's just a flea on the butt of a dog. What a creep!

Thanks for the tip on the vac and for the FB connection, too.

Anita

Both you and Clark are just as tough as I am. You both probably dont realize it yet. Just look at your signature, shows he has been thru the wringer with you right by his side. Not an easy road.

Yep, the wound vac is a noisy pain in the butt, although it is very helpful, its an annoyance.

It took me a few seconds after my initial shock before I could even think of something to say. To me thats like kicking somebody who is in a wheelchair. I have a handicapped sticker on my car and you can tell Im ill just by looking at me. What an idiot to actually have the nerve to laugh and make fun of me. His poor wife!!!!

Clark is about 3 months behind me with his operation. My jaw is steel or some type of metal. Im glad my leg wasnt used. Does Clark have any trouble with his leg? Hows the swelling? There arent many who have had their jaw rebuilt.

Hi Anita,

I'm sorry that I can't be much help on this. I just wanted you to know that I check this thread to see how you and Clark are doing. I'm happy to hear that your visit to the doctor was a positive one.

Things are moving in the right direction. Clark still has 2 small areas that are not healing. We will address this at our next appt. but I do have some observations I want to run by others.

First, I had read about Vigilon on another post here and wonder if this is something that may help with Clark's small wounds. Twice a day, we are putting an antibiotic ointment on the openings, then cover them with bandaids. While it is not getting worse, it isn't getting any better either.

Second, my husband is tasting more foods now. He gets this stabbing pain every time he coughs, moves his mouth or tastes something. He is not chewing yet. I was wondering if his salivary gland is the cause. You know how something tart, like lemon, can make your jaw hurt momentarily, knifelike, as the salivary gland responds to that stimulus. Since he is just now trying and tasting foods again, could it be the body's response to an unfamiliar stimulus? It has been months that Clark has really eaten anything.

It's possible this is nerve damage, too.

Christine� Clark's leg is healing very well. The original dressing was an ADB pad (4x6) with an ACE. Now, it is a small 2x3, no ACE. He has no pain and very little swelling. He moves around normally. He's been getting out every day now, too.

Suzanne� Thanks for checking in.

Anita

For Clark's wounds, I would stick with the antibiotic and a bandaid. This will help the wound heal better and keep it from getting infected.

The stabbing pain in the jaw sounds like what I get. For me, its from the surgery and it has improved. Time will make it better.

This surgery takes a very long time to recover from. When my visiting nurses checked into my feeding tube info. The insurance company has it estimated at a 1 year recovery time. Ive had 3 of my doctors tell me the same time frame for everything to heal. I still have alot of swelling which probably will not shrink much more. My jawline will require liposuction to correct my appearance, it isnt eligible to be done til after the 1 year point.

As far as the areas that are not healing, are they deep wounds? Thats how I ended up with a wound vac. Ask your doc if that is something that would help Clark.

As always, wishing Clark a painless and complete recovery.

Hi Anita,

Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you and wishing Clark comfort soon. I wish there was more I could do. Christine is here so that is good!!

Hi Anita,

There was a medicine that my wound care doctors had me apply to an area on my chin that wouldn't heal...and for the life of me I can't remember the name of it. But between that and the hbo treatments my wounds started to heal nicely.

I have the same pains in my jaw sometimes too..I also get wicked neck/jaw cramps.

It sounds like Clark is progressing better...and that's great