Monday, June 30, 2008

The leak....

The left side of my cheek, at the incision site has been leaking.
I saw Dr. Mehta 2 weeks ago, and he told me it was normal and part of healing,
and that it would heal..
Well it hasn't stopped. It leaks more now than it did 2 weeks ago.
It really leaks when I eat. I tape a 2"x 2" gauze bandage over the area before I eat,
within 30 minutes, that bandage is saturated. Obviously, something is wrong,
Dr. Mehta's words:

"I now strongly suspect that the drainage is a saliva leak. If it was related to routine wound drainage, it should have resolved by now. There is a salivary gland duct that runs close to that area and it appears to be leaking unfortunately. I am glad to hear that you have no fevers. However, I would like to see you to start some treatment to decrease the drainage. There is a medication I would like to prescribe to decrease salivary flow and also to put on a pressure dressing on that site. These conservative measures often allow the leak to heal. The next steps beyond that would be injection of Botox into the left parotid gland and beyond that would be a minor surgical exploration of the wound - hopefully we don't have to get to either of those (esp as they require insurance approval). Can you come in to see me this week?"

So. tmw I am off to see him. I knew something was wrong ;-(
Oh well, no worries,
I have all the faith in the world that he will fix it.

Saturday, June 7, 2008


What? Where? Who?


What:
Bilateral Temporalis Muscle Transplant,
aka T-Flap surgery. Both sides.
Dr. Mehta's words :
“ The incision will start in the hair, right above the temple, and come down to the earlobe, on both sides.
There will also be an incision in the nasolabial fold (lip cheek crease) on both sides.
The chewing muscle at the temple on each side,is stretched and attatched to the muscles at the corner of the mouth. We always OVERCORRECT quite a bit – that means that the corner of the mouth will look very pulled up on each side. This is normal and will relax over time.
The t-flap will act as a sling, holding and supporting the muscles of the face upward. In 2 or 3 weeks, you will start pyhsical therapy, to learn to use the tranferred muscle, and create a moving smile by clenching your teeth.”
Where:
The Thornton Hospital
La Jolla,
CA
Who:
Dr. Ritvik P. Mehta, M.D.
Otolaryngology
Head & Neck Surgery,
University of California, San Diego (U.C.S.D.)
9350 Campus Point Dr.
La Jolla, CA (619) 543-5910