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← Return to Diagnosed with Ameloblastoma
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Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: Oct 28 6:03pm | Replies (227)
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Thank you so much for your words of advice @tomschwerdt and @hrhwilliam
We are scheduled for an appointment tomorrow. We were referred to UTMB in Galveston, which is awful timing due to a newly developed hurricane in the gulf! Hoping this doesn't affect our travels (probably about an hour away).
I look forward to asking questions and getting more information. @hrhwilliam the first question I have on my list is what is the doctor's experience dealing with ameloblastoma.
@hrhwilliam @tomschwerdt @anbar04 i have a list of questions to ask, but if there is anything important you can think of that I should ask please, let me know! Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Replies to "Thank you so much for your words of advice @tomschwerdt and @hrhwilliam We are scheduled for..."
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@lesleybrown, hey hope you’re well. In terms of if I had a choice between the conservative and radical surgery as a mother of a younger child I would also pick conservative surgery. The only reason I did do a radical surgery was purely because I had the ability to take a year off from my university and had time to heal and the surgery does require that time to heal and being that little bit older than your son it allowed me to be mentally prepared for any trials that came my way in a much more rational way.
In terms of what you need to know everyone varies in terms of recovery but it’s hard for the first few months as you do need to retrain your body to eat, walk, speak etc. For me the first two weeks were the hardest just because it’s so intense straight away but as long as you have a good team around you progress can be made i even walked around the ICU 3 days in. I think the weirdest part is the lack of independence in the hospital from the catheter to the tracheostomy and overall discomfort you feel from tubes and wires being all over you and from leaving the hospital the hardest part is staying positive and actively trying to get better which is why I think the fact your son is so young is something to consider, do you think he has the ability to keep himself going and can you watch the process unfold and keep on going yourself?
That being said I know the points I’ve explained do sound pretty intense I don’t particularly regret my journey as it’s aided me to become a better person and a year later I can walk, talk, eat, sleep extremely well. I go to the gym regularly and my plate is stable and I feel genuinely happy especially since I start my university soon. What you chose to do is a big decision and I think take your time with it and of course ask questions and make sure every person that can be effected by the outcome whether it’s mentally or physically or both is involved in your conversations and also listen to what makes you guys best off as that’s the most important thing. We’re also here to provide clarity over general/specific questions💕