My friend

jtl
jtl Member Posts: 456
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
A very good friend of mine was recently diagnosed with scchn. He is in the process of getting opinions but it appears he will need a modified neck dissection and a mandibulectomy followed by radiation sometime early next month. I know some in the group have been through this but I don't recall who they are. He is curious about what to expect. He watched me go through my ordeal but his will be different.
John

Comments

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #2
    I can't help since I didn't have that type of
    cancer...but I am wishing your friend God's speed...He's lucky he has you.

    p
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #3
    good friend
    Hi John,

    I have seen the posts also, good luck to your friend. I’ve had minor neck dissection, but not the other. Make sure your friend knows it is not the end of the world. H&N warriors fight and win everyday.

    Best,

    Matt
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #4
    Hey John
    I have had similar surgery. My surgery in 2010 was resection and reconstruction og the floor of my mouth. The surgery is pretty much the same, except that the graft is all soft tissue, not bone. So my donor site was my forearm, while his will be his lower leg, including ansection of fibula. This will be a long surgery, mine was about 13 hours. It will include performing a temporary tracheostomy, placing a feeding tube, putting in a number of IV's, art lines, etc, resecting the mandible on the effected side. then they will harvest bone and surrounding soft tissue and vlood supplu from the lower leg and graft it in to fill the mandibular defect. He will be in ICU for awhile, and on the ventillator to assist breathing ( I was only in overnight). the trache will be in 3-5 days likely. The NG tube will be in week to ten days. The total hospital stay will be about ten days ( I was in about 8). It isnt much fun, but at the same time, it is pretty doeable. Oh, they will likely harvest some skin from his thigh to cover the defect created when they take the fibula. He will have a lot of wound care to do at home. It seemed like thats about all i did for the first two weeks. they wont start his radiation for awhile after surgery, likely about three weeks.

    Sorry for the typing, on my ipad tonight.

    Pat

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