Just looking for some support. My dad survived throat cancer in 1998. He never smoked a day in his life. I. Radiation killed his salivary glands and blood flow to his left side jaw. November 2016 he had his left lower jaw removed and his left fibula bone placed with a custom metal plate in his jaw. It was the worst experience I’ve ever had to go through. No one should have to see their parent go through this. The after effects were even more tough. My father is a lawyer and makes his living speaking in a courtroom. This is his livelihood. Dealing with the stares, rude people saying they can’t understand him when he speaks has broken his spirit. But my father is a fighter. We just found out that he has to have his right side done now. This time he is going to a different hospital. His surgery is scheduled for June 27th.

Welcome to OCF, Tiffany! Im very sorry to read about what your father has already been thru!!! Your father is very lucky to have such a dedicated daughter to help him get thru everything.

A mandibulectomy is a long, difficult surgery with a long time needed for recovery. Many patients have complications too. Ive been thru it myself and fortunately survived. My speech is surprisingly very clear considering everything Ive been thru. Having clear speech is definitely NOT a simple feat!!! I credit my clarity from my former profession, talking 10+ hours a day where my enunciation had to be absolutely perfect or I would not have been hired.

Hopefully Your fathers surgery will go smoothly and he will have a much easier time of it this time around. At least everyone knows what to expect an d how to prepared having been thru it before. This time around I suggest asking for a speech pathologist or someone who is very familiar with the numerous challenges oral cancer patients face. The sooner he can start with someone, the better change he has of having clear speech, or at least making some improvements.

Best wishes!!!

Tiffany Morrison,

I’m sorry to hear of your fathers troubles! I too had a right mandibularectomy with a right fibula free flap about 4 years ago. It took about 8 hours, as my doctor does them often. Due to no vascularity in my left neck, after multiple surgeries, they used a carotid artery and vein from the chest for vascularity. I still have some difficulty in speech and lip appearance as the nerve was cut in my jaw, and not replaced. I may undergo a future surgery to correct the lip, but I’m in no rush for another surgery.

I don’t work anymore, so It doesn’t effect me as if I did, so I don’t have to deal with the public like that, but sometimes it is ordering out until I get right back!

I did go to an SLP sometime afterward. It was like my 3rd treatment through the years with that, so I don’t recall the specific exercises they did, but it was nice going as it was in the head and neck cancer unit, and everyone is asking about you, and see my ENT in passing.

Good luck with the surgery!

I forgot to add that I already had a feeding tube in case I needed it, which I didn’t since the hospital in the step down unit gace you purées food about the 3rd day. I was released after the 7th day, and went a rehab home for about 2 months. They didn’t remove the leg boot until my second month as my leg wasvt healing, but later had another graft surgery to close. The area for tracheostomy’didb’t heal for a month, so I had to do without and keot it covered.

Good luck with surgery!






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