Country Plans Forum Members as Family

[StinkerBell]

I still think you need to pack on 20 pounds before the surgery. I really think for some time you will not want to eat.

<HUG>

[Redoverfarm]

Stink maybe you should loan him your new juice machine and send a box of bendable staws.

[Windpower]

We are going to have to start calling you "Jaws"






stay well Don you're in our prayers

[PEG688]

I've done some research on my head surgeon. Dr. Mitchell is an oral maxillofacial surgeon with over 25 years of maxilofacial surgical experience. Dr. Mitchell has a very long list of credentials and awards. He was Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at several US Military hospitals including 4 years in Germany and Saudi Arabian Army Evacuation Hospitals in the late 80's to early 90's. He's seen a lot worse than this thing of mine.

This head surgeon working on your head , or he's the lead guy? He sounds old , hopefully he's got a young surgeon with a steady hand to do the cuttin!

  Good luck Mtn D. we're all pullin fer ya ! And keep yer stick on the ice! 

  Good luck to your bride as well in the post surgery  / re-coup period.

And take that advice and put on 20 lbs you'll need it post op. And you'll more than likely never get to put on 20 lbs knowing you'll lose it without "working at it " again. Hopefully , good luck Don.

[firefox]

What did the hippie say after he  opened the letter from the hospital?

Man, da Bill!!!

Sorry, I couldn't help my self,
Bruce

[considerations]

"He sounds old , hopefully he's got a young surgeon with a steady hand to do the cuttin!"

I had an old surgeon once, I think there is something to be said for experience and craftsmanship, not to mention that he saved my life. 

[MountainDon]

I figure he's maybe 58, but doesn't look it. He looks fit.

I've also bounced his professional experience off two friends in the medical field, one a teaching radiologist, just retired. They give him an excellent grade. In the surgical field there is a lot to be said for experience, just like with aircraft pilots.



firefox, Bruce, you're too much...  


I want to see the tools.     I wonder how much they cost. 

[archimedes]

Good luck on a speedy recovery.  You'll be missed while you're gone. 

[waggin]

Best wishes for a safe procedure and a speedy recovery! 

Oh, and if you decide to go the DIY route, remember that eye-hand coordination is really goofy using a mirror.  Maybe use 2 mirrors for a double reflection?

Remember, I'm pullin' for ya.  We're all in this together.

[rwanders]

My thoughts and prayers are with you, Don. Even though we have yet to meet, I count you as a friend and hope to see Pine Ridge one day.

RW

ps: Does this mean your bite will be better than your bark?   Conspiracy theorists beware!

[Abbynrml]

I would also like to wish you well Don.
Any operation is serious, but it sounds like the drs are well experienced and I am sure all will go well.
Keep us posted and we will all be praying for your quick recovery.

[StinkerBell]

 I do know that after this surgery when I get mad at MtN D, I will not tell him to Bite Me.

[MountainDon]

As uneasy as I've been feeling about this whole thing I ran the surgery scenario by a good friend who is an almost retired radiologist. He's a very intelligent guy, he's also a rocket scientist. Really. He first became an engineer and worked for NASA, then decided he'd rather be a doctor. Then a radiologist. 

He He ran the CT scan images and procedure by the skeletal radiologists at UNMH and here's his note to me.... (Oral-Maxilofacial surgery is a specialty unto itself and most docs from other fields know little or nothing about it)

Hi Don,

I checked with the skeletal radiologists.  While they have not seen this technique specifically used on the mandible, they have seen it in tumor-related orthopedic surgery elsewhere in the body by oncologic orthopedic surgeons who specialize in bone cancers..

The titanium plate holds the pieces of the cadaver bone in place until healing occurs.  The cadaver bone is dead (like the donor!), just calcium.  The reason for taking some bone marrow from your iliac bone/hip area is that it has living marrow and embryonic-like bone elements in it that will hopefully promote strong healing of the cadaver bone to both remaining parts of your mandible, while the titanium plate holds things together for the several months that this healing will take.

This operation should be much better that the "usual" where they use a piece of fibula from the lower leg to bridge the gap of the resected bone.  That works, but is a poor fit compared to the operation planned for you.

Sounds like your planned repair will be a very good one.

Bob





Stink... that's probably a wide decision.   

[IronRanger]

Best wishes, MountainDon.

[glenn kangiser]

I do know that after this surgery when I get mad at MtN D, I will not tell him to Bite Me.

Could I bite you, Stink? --- no titanium in these jaws...

[firefox]

My wife told me about when she was a little girl and this macho type dentist put his finger in her mouth and told her to bite down. Not wishing to hurt him she bit down lightly. The dentist then told her to bite down as hard as she could. There is now a note in her dental records in large red letters. Don't Test Bite
Dentist had to have several stitches in his finger.
She didn't mean to hurt him, but she is very obedient, except, of course, to me
Bruce

[peternap]

Sounds like you have a Good Doctor and he has a good plan Don.

Now is the easy part. Take a deep breath, say a prayer and sit back and let it happen.

Ongoing prayers and I have a good feeling about this!

[kenhill]

I am an active reader of the forums and always look forward to hearing Don's wisdom and calm.  When this happend to my mother, she declared war and won.  You will do the same.  My thoughts will be with you as you take on this challenge.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Don, you're in my thoughts and prayers.  So are the surgeons! 

[sparks]

Mountain Don,

You have been an inspiration and mentor to me since I landed here only a brief time ago. Could it be Karma?? From our Family to Yours, may you have a successful operation and recovery......

On a side note, I just got home from St. Anthony's Hospital in Rockford,Il. My mother was flightlined in there about  8 hours ago from a smaller hospital in Northern Illinois. She had a nasty spill in a nursing home, took a bad shot to the head.....something about bleeding on the brain. She's 88 years old.

I'm gonna get a few winks ...go back to the hospital....make some decisions....and then wait.


sparks

[MountainDon]

Oh dear sparks. I'm so sorry to hear of your mother's fall and injury. I pray that events turn out for the best.

[glenn kangiser]

I Hope things turn out OK, Sparks