Thanks for all your responses; I will try to fill in some gaps in information.
For the PT fans, today I talked to the physio who is attached to the Cancer Center and she will see me within days of the OK from the surgeon. My closest buddy is a physio in private practice so I know she will be keeping a close eye on my neck and arm right from day one.
The surgery will be done here in Sudbury in an acute care hospital where I trained as a nurse and have a few friends. The hospital called today already with my "date" Feb 2/05, and I go for pre-op work-up tomorrow morning. They are getting this rolling pretty quickly I think.
One of the things I wondered about was the teeth stuff that all we post rad people have as part of our daily routine. The Onco.Dentist called and said I should be fine for the time that is involved over surgery...but I've worked so hard to keep these sweet choppers, I want to be more than fine! I'll probably have my husband slip in my fluoride trays asap. I will have a tracheotomy so that will make some things a little different for a while.
From Helen's question about the recurrence...it seems to me that this particular lump has been present from the beginning, it receeded (what I wouldn't give for a spell check now) during radiation but returned after a few months as a nagging ache. As the ache got worse the Docs cranked of the level of diagnostics until finally the MRI caught it last week.
The fact that it was resistive to rads is not in my favour.
With the wonderful feedback from caregivers, I will encourage my husband to at least lurk on the boards. This support is so precious.
Thanks for the heartfelt responses,
Blessings, Fran