The amazing body has started it's work. One month post the Ameloblastoma operation I went back to see
Dr Ho Kee Hai in Singapore. On examination it appears that the surgery which I underwent at Mount Elizabeth has been successful in removing the tumour, and that my body has started the healing process. The early weeks post op were not very pleasant, although for 24 hours I thought the process was painless until the morphine wore off. The pain from the swelling and bone was in competition with the mandible nerve which has a way of remaining switched on. Now the sharp pain has subsided leaving only the swollen lip, rather unseemly slurping of drinks, and an itch in my numb chin which feels like scratching a mosquito bite through a duvet. Dr Ho removed the filling and took another scan. After one month there are signs that the bone is growing back again; evidenced by the opaque areas on the jaw where previously there had been darkness. The photo on the left shows structure in the top right hand corner which wasn't seen in the post op scan. The puffy textured image is the filling used to pad the cavity in the jaw which extends from the pre molar to the hinge in my lower jaw. There there are signs of recuperation is great news. Apparently there are three major phases of bone healing, two of which can be further sub-divided to make a total of five phases, although for my purposes these three seem sufficient: 1. Reactive Phase i. Fracture and inflammatory phase ii. Granulation tissue formation 2. Reparative Phase iii. Cartilage Callus formation iv. Lamellar bone deposition 3. Remodeling Phase v. Remodeling to original bone contour Apparently the process of replacement takes 3-5 years, recovering from a condition which was took approximately 3 years to manifest itself in my mandible. I will be returning to Singapore in May for another check up. Dr Ho has been superb, and I have been determined to post these blogs so that others may find him. Indeed within weeks of my first post an Ameloblastoma sufferer from the Philippines found my blog looking for alternatives to extensive surgery. As I found it so hard to find alternatives to extensive surgery, my goal is to post as much positive news as I can in the hope of sharing information about the alternatives.
