Surgery soft palate

Hi Queen B pleased you’ve had the op sorry to hear about yiur difficulties. I’ll tag Lyn who’s in Australia she’s  had several obturators  fitted am sure she will,pop in with an answer @Sophie66 

Hugs Hazel x

Hi Queen B

Sorry to hear about the chest infection, that's all you need on top of the op. The irritated wind pipe might possibly be from the breathing tube they use during the op and will resolve.I had this issue too after surgery.

Don't despair. My first obturator did not fit that well either and I used to have liquid come out one side of my nose when I drank. The second obturator was perfect and fitted like a glove. It made eating and drinking so much easier although I still at times had a small amount of liquid come out of my nose. I did have to adjust to a soft diet though as the obturator did not manage anything with too much texture.

Unfortunately I too have the breathing issue. The doctors don't seem to prepare you for it. It seems that with removal of some of the structures in your upper jaw things collapse down a bit causing some issues with breathing. No matter how much you blow your nose it does not help. Initially I used to have a foam wedge to elevate myself on when I slept and this helped a bit. I also have the dry mouth issue made worse from mouth breathing. I found a dab of Biotene mouth gel on my tongue helps. When I wake up with my mouth dry again I  put another dab on. I found the gel worked better than the Biotene mouth spray initially but am back to using it again now. Things have improved in the dry mouth department at night now and I do not have to use the gel as much and am also able to sleep with only a pillow now. The breathing issue has not gone away although it is not as bad as it used to be and is quite manageable now.

It does take time for it all to settle down and it is early days yet. It takes a while to get used to the changes and adapt to them but you will get there. My first maxillectomy was in 2019 and the second one in 2022 and I am feeling really well now. You will get there, don't despair. You just can't rush things.

Sending hugs

Lyn

x

Thankyou she got back to me 

Thankyou Lyn for the information it helps a lot and puts my mindset at ease

I am now praying that it’s all been worthwhile I get results on 21 August 

best regards 

sharon

Good to hear that you’re through the op and out the other side, I was wondering how you were getting on. Reading the advice posted by others who have been through the same, it seems you have a way to go, but you’ll get there. When we look back at what we’ve been through 

Hi Queen B, I was wondering if you’d had your surgery, but sorry to read that it’s so difficult at the moment. Some good advice here though from others who have had similar experiences. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time and you can do this! Sending positive thoughts and hugs xx

Thankyou Peach it’s a daily struggle but hopefully all worth it just need to hear the words “all clear” now I’m praying for that to be the case on Monday  

when you look back on what we have been through it’s surreal and no one realises unless they have been on that awful journey 

That’s so true, family and friends can be very sympathetic but they can’t know how it feels inside you/me/us, physically and mentally. At the moment I’m trying not to be anxious about a PET scan I had yesterday, hoping beyond hope that nothing shows up this time Take it one day at a time and hold on to every small improvement, see each one as a win xx

I have everything crossed for you x

Thank you