Hi there I had 40 nodes removed during my surgery - it was much longer as they did it during the time of tumor removal - it was a piece of cake compared to my tongue surgery - I'm still numb 13 mos out from surgery but my shoulder is fine and has been for about 10 mos. physio really helped. My neck is still tight but that's from the combination of radiation. And surgery. So a few months out you should be okay as long as you get physio and do your exercises. I was eating normally after having tongue surgery and a neck dissection 10 days out. One thing to note. Operating on radiated skin is harder and slower to heal keep an eye out for infection and good luck!