Lenny,

I hope all goes well for you today. It seems the vast majority of people here who have had neck dissections plus radiation have said the neck dissection was much easier to deal with overall.

When I was done with surgery (it was a modified neck dissection plus partial glossectomy, including the removal of many lymph nodes), I was in ICU for monitoring for about 24 hours after, then went to a regular room for about 4 more days. The hardest part for me at that point was dealing with the tubes that were still in me, and I did have some swallowing problems for a few days largely because of them. However, within a couple of days, I was talking on the phone, and sipping liquids, and by day 5 I was moving around well, starting to eat soft foods and ready to go home. After a couple of weeks, I felt good enough to go back to work.

Your medical team should be able to manage any pain you may have in the aftermath of your surgery. Best wishes for a quick recovery and a good pathology report!

Cathy