The pathology results for my jaw growth came back as BENIGN. Praise the Lord! I hadn't really been worried while we waited ten days for the results because the oral surgeon had told Stuart after surgery that it didn't present like a tumor and was like a bone growth. His impression of what the five most likely things it could be were all benign growths, and it did turn out to be one of the things my surgeon had mentioned. It has a long name that I don't remember (I'll get copies of my pathology report in a few days via mail), but it is almost always found in middle aged, African American women. So, that was why my doctors didn't immediately think that I would be a candidate for it.
Luckily, no future treatment is necessary. I am about 80% recovered from the biopsy procedure which involved cutting open a flap in my gum line inside my chin, cutting out a piece of the bone growth, and then stitching me back with about two inches of stitches. It has taken longer for the swelling to go away than I expected, and I still have some soreness and swelling right around the area where the biopsy was taken, plus I still have no regular feeling in my two, center bottom teeth. Hopefully, that won't be permanent due to nerve damage.
I'm so thankful that it isn't anything serious that would require more invasive surgery or loss of teeth. The only slight negative right now is that I might not be able to get adult braces (which I was seriously thinking of getting in 1-2 years when Owen gets his since my school dental plan will cover adult orthodontics). My surgeon is researching this and talking to his orthodontist friends, and I'll find out more at my final check-up in two weeks. Apparently, my four (crooked) bottom teeth might be fused into this excess bone spur and may not be able to be moved or corrected with braces. I guess I'll just live with my crooked teeth if that's the case, and I'm very thankful that I get to keep them!
Thanks so much for your prayers!
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