Ching,

I would highly recommend another visit with the surgeon prior to the scheduled surgery date. As others have said, grafts are generally not needed for a neck dissection but they are used to rebuild the tongue. I suspect that's what the surgeon was talking about. If that is the case, is only one surgeon doing both parts of the surgery? I had two surgeons - the ENT who removed the cancerous tissue and a reconstructive/plastic surgeon who rebuilt my tongue. I met with both before my surgery and was able to ask many questions about what to expect during recovery. I spent about 10 days in the hospital, including 2 or 3 days in the trauma ICU ward. It wasn't easy and any one who says this isn't serious just doesn't know what they're talking about. This is a very, very serious cancer.

- Margaret