My husband felt completly vulnerable and we became even more dependent on each other. He felt he was given a second chance after surgery but the period of time directly after was brutal. Breathing, swallowing, tubes tangled even bathroom issues, everything was a fight. He doesn't clearly remember it all but came out determined. The radiation on his neck was very aggressive and for that he has pain and tightness as well as a tendency to get infections. We are both still very exhausted three years on and slowly finding our way back to a fulfilling life. Surviving cancer and living with the residual effects changes everything, but we both keep searching for a new happy.