Jaw, gum, cheek towards back molar involved in growth.

Hi Railroad. So sorry to hear about this cancer. 
What have you been told about your time in ICU post op and what surgery are you having ? 

Hi Railroad. I have had 3 different ops for jaw cancer over time and so have spent quite a lot of time in ICU (partial mandibulectomy 2013, left maxillectomy 2019, right maxillectomy 2022) I was in there for around 5 days each time. I had good pain relief so did not have any issues there. You wake up with lots of tubes coming out of you plus for 2 of my ops I had a temporary tracheostomy.I used a small whiteboard while I had the tracheostomy to convey my requests as it is hard to make yourself understood when you can't speak. If you are having one take in a small whiteboard with you.  The staff are very attentive with one nurse for each patient. I felt extremely fatigued for a couple of days. The day after my op the physio came in and dragged me around the ICU with all the tubes as company. She then came every day and walked me around ICU with improvement each time. They gradually started to take the tubes out so when I left  ICU I only had the NG tube left. I got out of bed as much as possible and sat by the side of the bed and did the exercises I was given by the physio. I figured the sooner I got going the sooner I would leave ICU. You have to be proactive to get going again. It was quite boring in ICU once I started feeling better so I would recommend taking in your phone and signing up for something like Audible. I watched TV but the offerings on it were very poor. It was a great day when they took me on a shower chair to have a shower with the help of the nurse as up until then I had a bed bath. They are wonderful in ICU and will look after you very well so do not worry about that. 

Best wishes for your up coming op.

Lyn