Good for you! Enjoy your health and be grateful the problem was caught and addressed with minimal interruption to your normal daily activities.

Great news and Good Luck in the future!

bjmpittsburgh,
Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words. I just feel very lucky and blessed to be at this point 1 week from my surgery. I am just so glad I didn't ignore the nagging feeling in my gut telling me something was wrong, even though both dentists kept insisting I was not at risk because I have never smoked and don't drink. I will be seeing the radiation oncologist sometime in the next month and as long as he agrees with my doctor I won't have anything until my next check up in August. After battling melanoma 31 years ago, and basal cell carcinoma a few years back, now squamous cell I feel like I have had the trifecta of those 3 and ready to be done lol! I am just taking it one day at a time and being grateful for each day given and thankful for each day starting to feel better. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers and wish for blessings for you.
Camille

Hi Christine or anyone who can answer this,
Today is exactly 2 weeks from my surgery and overall I am feeling pretty good, and much better than I had anticipated. Have a couple of questions though...1 is it seems like over the past few days I have had a lot more saliva than before and was wondering if this was normal? Also starting to have like a pins and needles feeling in my tongue at times. And my other question is where my doctor did the neck dissection and the stitches are it feels really tight. Was just wondering how long that would last. Am able to eat and drink somewhat normal but not trying anything too crazy yet. I have a consultation with the radiologist oncologist next Friday so will see what he says then. In the meantime hanging in there taking it one day at a time and feeling very blessed and grateful. My daughter graduated from UNLV on Saturday and I was able to attend and enjoy her special day she had worked so hard for.
Camille

Hi Camille! It sounds like you are doing great with your recovery! Congrats to your daughter with graduating!!!! Congrats to you the proud momma who worked so hard to well enough to attend

I think the things you are noticing may be from your swelling receding. Of course, we arent doctors but over the years we have learned a thing or two about this disease. It can take a very long time for inflammation to completely disappear but usually most patients have most of their swelling dissipate in about the first 2 or 3 weeks post op. I also think the tightness of your neck dissection is partially the swelling going down and part of the healing process. I would suggest seeking out a physical therapist to help you do some very light stretching exercises to help with your range of motion. Most patients who have done a neck dissection will talk about their neck being stiff or too tight which is why PT is needed. The earlier you get started on PT, the better results you will have. The pins and needles are the nerves starting to work again where the swelling is going down. All the things you mentioned sound like they're part of the healing process to me.

Best wishes with your continued improvements in your recovery.

Hi Christine,
Thank you for being so kind and taking the time to respond to my questions, and yes you were absolutely right...I was one proud Mama to watch my daughter walk across that stage on Saturday because I remember the fear I wouldn't be there back in March when I was diagnosed. I am going to get in touch with physical therapy and take your advice and get that started. I have been doing at home on my own this arm lifts my doctor advised me to do to keep from getting frozen shoulder, which I had never even heard of, but think I need more because like I said my neck feels really tight in one area especially when I get up in the morning. I am happy to say though I have not had to take any of my pain meds in a week now, only Advil every once in a while. I have my appointment next Friday with the radiation oncologist so will see what he says. Again, thank you so much for all your kindness shown and hope you have a wonderful day.
Camille

Hi everyone,
I had my appointment last Friday with the radiation oncologist and got great news. I don't have to have any radiation! I feel so very lucky. I had about a 50 minute consultation and he went over everything in great detail, and concluded that the negative effects of radiation far outweighed the need for it looking at all my results at this time. He said the cancer was removed completely from my tongue with clear borders and the 1 lymph node in my neck with the cancer was very small...less than 1 centimeter. The other 33 nodes removed were all negative and he said my surgeon got extra large clear borders in my neck. I will now be followed every 3 months and will definitely get myself in right away if I notice the least little thing.
It has now been 4 weeks since my surgery and I am feeling pretty much back to normal and eating normally again. My neck is getting better and the glue is finally starting to come off so the tightness isn't as bad as before. Still have a lot of excess saliva, but feel i don't have anything to complain about. My thoughts are with everyone here that you will all be healing quickly and have many good days ahead.
Camille

Hi Camille!

Thats excellent news!!! You are very fortunate to have gone thru surgery so successfully that you do not need rads. Sounds like you are just about recovered in only a month. Now thats fast healing! Wishing you all the very best with your continued recovery and many happy, healthy days ahead

Be well!

That's great news!

Hi all,
I'm hoping Christine or someone here could be so kind to answer a question I have. I had my surgery and neck dissection on May 3rd, and have actually been feeling better than I
ever expected to. I feel very lucky that within the first month I was pretty much back to eating normally...and now probably more than I need to! My question is for the first month following surgery the whole right side of my head (ear, jaw, neck, etc..) felt really numb. Now it is different...it just feels really tender when I press on that area. My neck is healing up really nicely, however it feels really tight at times on part of the incision area. Is this something I should be concerned about? I have my 3 month check up appointment with my surgeon on August 4th. Thank you so much for any advice anyone can offer and have a blessed day.
Camille

That's great, I'm so happy for you!