Hello Sooner, my husband too had a residual node post Cisplatin and radiation. Kris was sent for a PET scan and the node lit up. He then underwent a modified Right neck dissection. Pathology of this node showed it to be necrotic only with no active cancer cells. To be honest this surgery was simple and straight forward. Kris came home the day after surgery and he reports it as being relatively painless. As Christine advised, get on to physiotherapy as soon as you are able to help with the shoulder function.
Tammy

Caregiver/advocate to Husband Kris age 59@ diagnosis
DX Dec '10 SCC BOT T4aN2bM0 HPV+ve.Cisplatin x3 35 IMRT.
PET 6/11 clear.
R) level 2-4 neck dissection 8/1/11 to remove residual node - necrotic with NED
Feb '12 Ca back.. 3/8/12 total glossectomy/laryngectomy/bilat neck dissection/partial pharyngectomy etc. clear margins. All nodes negative for disease. PEG in.
March 2017 - 5 years disease free. Woohoo!