Your experience sounds familiar. One thing that shocked me after I was operated on was the scar across my neck just at the Adam's apple which was done to remove and check the lymph nodes. That was 8 years ago and I believe that a newer procedure minimizes that scar so if you hear "neck dissection" mentioned, ask about the scar. If you have a team of cancer specialists with strong oral cancer experience, they should know how to deal the whole problem. If not, find a CCC (Comprehensive Cancer Center) and they'll be able to. TLC