I am Student Nurse and i have an assignment on how to care for the patient after a submandibulectomy procedure... i have no clue as to what to do- can u please help me out?
thanks in advance
Well, my scar is barely noticeable with the exception of a slight inward "pucker" spot where the initial incision started about an inch from my ear. My sister told me it looks more like a acne blemish more than anything. She said the DR did a good job keeping in-line with my natural neck fold which was even more noticeable at the time, because it was about a month after the surgery.
One thing I would insist on is a confirmation that there is no stone remaining and the DR leaves your mouth alone unless the DR intends to fully marsupialize the entire length of the Wartons Duct (WD) for remnant stones.
You see I had my first surgery near the end of March last year (2006). In August I started having more problems but felt relieved when I passed a 1/4 inch remnant stone from the WD. In September I was hit with another bout of problems and I happened to have a skull x-ray done up. No one cought the stone but from where I felt it hurting but I could see the "distortion" in the x-ray. However, the radiologist and my DR claimed I was seeing things. By the middle of October I seemed to have proved my case as my WD was infected again needing a second surgery to fully marsupialize the entire length of the WD. Sure enough it was found.
If you feel comfortable I would print this out and show your DR this. My stone must have been almost 1.5 inches long to give me such trouble.