#51625 07-25-2006 03:38 PM | Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 23 Member | OP  Member
Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 23 | My dad needs to help loosen his jaw to get more range of motion and i've read about something called a therabite? does anyone know how this works and where to get one?
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#51626 07-25-2006 03:45 PM | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,918 Likes: 65 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,918 Likes: 65 | search the site using the search engine to learn about the Therabite device. Then look at the additional resources link off the main nav bar
Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
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#51627 07-25-2006 03:57 PM | Joined: Apr 2006 Posts: 378 "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2006 Posts: 378 | Jack uses the therabite device and is making progress with it. It looks like a platic hinge that you put in your mouth and open and close your mouth. It's pretty simple to use.
You may want to call your insurance company to find out which of their vendors has a contract for this. It's made by Atos Medical and they have a website. I'm pretty sure they also have a toll free customer service number you can call to see if they accept your insurance. They were pretty helpful when I spoke to them in March.
Brian is right that there's good information right here on the main site. I learned a lot from reading that before we ordered the device and it was very helpful.
Regards JoAnne
JoAnne - Caregiver to husband, cancer rt. tonsil, mets to soft palate, BOT, 7 lymph nodes - T3N2BM0, stage 4. Robotic assisted surgery, radical neck dissection 2/06; 30 IMTX treatments and 4 cycles of cisplatin completed June 06.
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#51628 07-26-2006 03:21 AM | Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 624 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 624 | Therabite definitey works, it is best if used from start of treatment but can improve things afterwards, per our swallowing/speech therapist.
Barry used one throughout and has no trismus, but he does note that if he is lax about doing it at last once a day now (10 months from end of treatment) he does feel a little "stiff" the next time. If he does it daily he is OK. During and right after treatment he was diligent about using it 7x a day as suggested by the device's literature.
Gail
CG to husband Barry, dx. 7/21/05, age 66, SCC rgt. tonsil, BOT, 2 nodes (stg. IV), HPV+, tonsillectomy, 7x carboplatin, 35x tomoTherapy IMRT w/ Ethyol @ Johns Hopkins, thru treatment 9/28/05, HPV vaccine trial 12/06-present. Looking good!
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#51629 07-26-2006 08:34 AM | Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 23 Member | | OP Member
Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 23 | once again thanks for the information! I was able to get one ordered this morning and my dad is happy! :0) | | |
#51630 07-26-2006 02:07 PM | Joined: Apr 2006 Posts: 378 "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Apr 2006 Posts: 378 | way to go!!!! This should really help your Dad, good luck with it. Jack has found the same thing as Barry on using it every day. Your Dad will need to get into a routine that he can stick to every day to get results. Let us know how he makes out and if you have questions when he starts using it.
Regards JoAnne
JoAnne - Caregiver to husband, cancer rt. tonsil, mets to soft palate, BOT, 7 lymph nodes - T3N2BM0, stage 4. Robotic assisted surgery, radical neck dissection 2/06; 30 IMTX treatments and 4 cycles of cisplatin completed June 06.
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