My name is Elyse and am a current college student. My dad was diagnosised with cancer of the tonsil during my freshmen year around Christmas time of 2003. It has been a long road since then. He had a tonsilectomy first but they were unable to remove the cancer so instead the doctors decided that he needed major surgery. He was given a feeding tube before surgery. My dad had his jaw broken and then a third of his pec muscle was twisted up to the neck area to make up for the loss of tissues and such. He then went through chemo and radiation, and did fine but then that summer he was told that he needed to go back for surgery since it was not healing properly. They once again went in and this time placed a smaller metal late in his jaw but this did not work either so they finally went in and removed his right lower jaw. Unfortunaely while he was in for this he had a heart attack and needed a triple bipass surgery. Not only this but he later gained infections within the incision from the heart attack and then c-diff. He has been getting better but is still on the feeding tube because he is unable to swallow that well, and also since they removed a portion of his lower jaw, his jaw is shifted so that his other teeth do not line up. We are currently trying to get a prosthetic in but it doesn't seem to be going as weel as we had hoped. I just feel like I can't help anymore and feel useless to him. He wants to go back to work so bad (he's an operating engineer) but doctor's won't give the ok. If anyone has any suggestion on what to do for his eating or anything at all it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
~ Elyse

Hello Elyse,

Welcome to the Oral Cancer Foundation. It is the most informative forum on oral cancer on the net.
First I would tell him he has had MAJOR surgery and forget about getting back to work so soon. His mindset should be on healing and beating this horrible diaease.
I also had a stage 4 tonsil tumor that required a 17 hour operation and the same pectoral flap he had. Followed by radiation (IMRT) and 16 months of chemo. I am two and 1/2 years out and still have some quality of life issues. It will be diffucult for him to realize that he may never go back to his old life. Many of us have to get used to our new life. It's part of the territory I guess.

I'm sorry he had to go thru so many surgerys and lose his lower right jaw. I am hoping the doctors can find him a soloution that will bring about type of new life that he can enjoy.

All my Best, Danny Boy