hi

I'm so glad i found this forum. My dad was originally diagnosed with oral cancer in 1999. A tumour was found in his left lower jaw. A big section of his mandible was removed and he went for 30 radiation treatments. All was fine up until February this year when another tumour was found on the inside of the left cheek where the radiation was done. this was removed with laser surgery. A couple of months later another tumour was found on the right side of his neck. The doctors decided against surgery and they treated it with another 25 treatments of radiation on the right side. Inbetween all of this, due to the laser surgery and radiation on the left side, a hole developed in my dads cheek. This would not heal on its own. Also with the radiation on the neck, the tumour was not shrinking. So the doctors then decided to do surgery to remove the tumour on the neck as well as a flap to repair the hole in the cheek. They took a flap from his chest area and a skin graft from his thigh to repair the hole. Its now been about 7 weeks since surgery. The neck surgery has healed well, however the flap has come loose on some sections. The doctors say that the flap tissue is good, but my dad's original cheek tissue is not letting the stitches catch on due to the previous radiation. Currently the doctors are just saying we should wait for the tissue to heal, so nothings being done.

If anybody can help me, i would like to know where to from here? What are possible options? Currently my dad is sitting with half an open cheek. Half the graft has caught on and the other half hasn't. Also my dad is experiencing alot of pain and headaches, and not to mention the severe depression and loss of will.

We feel really stuck and lost. Mum is a wreck and so is dad. It just feels like a nightmare rollercoaster ride.

Please help.

Darshana

if it makes you feel any better, which it probably won`t.........I developed a fistula behind my cheek graft site, had the whole graft removed and now have a gaping whole, that we pack twice a day............we`re going for another graft after the new year................so don`t give up hope!!!!!!! Prayer, Packer

Hi Packer

Thank you for replying. It really helps to know that we r not alone in this and that there r people out there having similar problems.

Finding this site has been a godbless cos i thot that we were the only ones going thru such a complicated case. My dad's not a computer boffin but i will definately get him to read up more on this site.

But i want to wish you u the best of luck too:) and i will be adding you to my prayers.

Thank you.

darsh