On December 17th I met with a head and neck surgeon and learned the details of the operation I will be having to remove a cancerous tumor from my gum and lower right jaw. It’s shaping up to be the biggest challenge that I have ever faced in my life. My surgeon needs to remove most of the jaw and replace it with a titanium bridge and a new jaw bone crafted from the fibula in my left leg. Also, they will need to remove the lymph nodes from my neck. Since I won’t be able to breathe through my nose and mouth a tracheotomy is required. A plastic surgeon is part of the team who will be removing the fibula and, afterwards, grafting skin from my left thigh over the large incision on my left calf. The operation is set for January 12th. It is expected to take 8 1/2 hours. If all goes well I’ll be in the hospital for a maximum of 10 days. It’s not known yet if chemo or radiation will be needed afterwards.
