After the surgery, alcohol burns. After radiation, alcohol burns. I'm not a drinker so I can't speak to the differences between beer or wine or champagne or anything like that, but even medications with alcohol burn, so I can attest to that. Heck, even mint burns my mouth, but then that may be the radiation. So it's not entirely about the damage it can do, but also about what he might be able to tolerate after. That'd be something to ask the doctors, and maybe whoever here who actually knows about drinks can tell you if champagne is okay.

The nerve cutting can be ... weird. I suppose it can come out different for everyone. My surgeon said he didn't cut mine, but he must have dinged it (he admits this) because I do have damage. It caused a weird numbness on that side. (Once it healed, of course.) Not pain. Collars feel weird when they rub against it. The closest I can explain is like when your skin gets too cold in winter, and everything that bumps it just feels ... off ... somehow. You know what it *should* feel like, but it's wrong. It's irritating, but you get used to it. I don't know if it's the same for everyone, of course. (That would make an interesting poll, I suppose.) And ask about treatment after ... I find that (thanks to tips from a therapist after radiation) massage on my neck, just at-home stuff, helps unclog a lot of sinus issues ... who knew how much those lymph nodes were responsible for? Yes, we can do without them, but wow, they are sure under-appreciated! (I use those massage techniques on my healthy husband when he's got a bad cold, and even he attests to how it helps the drainage!) Not something to fret about yet, just something for down the road.