Update on my surgery for jaw cancer

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Hi everyone well I’m five months on from jaw surgery for cancer, had the course of radiotherapy which finished September 26th I’m. Feeling good in myself my leg where fibula bone was used has healed although still tender,  my left side of my face is still tender but I’m getting there. 

I have a lot of mucous which I use carbosisteine for, and it’s driving me nuts I cough and splutter retch and eventually have to get it out of my throat manually by using a sponge on a stick, (sorry about that ) my face is wonky I can’t hear out of my left ear and generally can’t eat too good as swallowing is still slow. 

In all it’s been six months nearly since surgery I hope to keep going and eating bits here and there as would like to move on and not use my peg. 

I guess it will all take time but the past few months in all honesty has been a blur. How long did it take for anyone who has had same surgery as me to get back to enjoy eating again and to feel as though they have control of their mouth, I don’t,  I dribble a lot JoyJoy

sending out love and prayers to anyone about to start their journey, it’s tough but we all get there in the end, xxxx

  • Hi Tiadora

    over eighteen months since my jaw surgery, the leg has healed well now but did have a few hiccups along the way with infection and blood clot, not tender any more but feels a tadge weird due to the surrounding nerve damage.  Jaw itself still quite tender also around the ear, Lymphadeama on and underneath chin, not painful but uncomfortable with the tight feeling it creates. Eating okay with slight adaptations, taste not always brilliant though. I still dribble sometimes, but only very slightly, due to the numbness around the lip area on the surgery side. Swallowing never been a problem for me as I did not have radiotherapy (my choice) therefore moved on quite quickly from the puréed food, had an ng tube during hospital stay which was removed before I came home.

    Hope you move on from the peg soon and continue to improve, which I am sure you will.

    kind regards, June

  • Hinjune lvely as always to hear from you , glad to hear your moving on, tbh I think I’m expecting too much too soon so I’ll just accept what I can do and what my body allows, but reading up on lots Kissing heart others comments on other posts it will take a few years to be almost back to what it was before, although never the same, take care lovely to hear how your doing x Kissing heart

  • In all it’s been six months nearly since surgery I hope to keep going and eating bits here and there as would like to move on and not use my peg. 

    Good to hear your update. It’s a day at a time isn’t it. You’ll get there at your own speed. Don’t set yourself unrealistic goals and be kind to yourself. 
    Best wishes 

    Dani 

    Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019

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