Hi Amy,

Sorry that you and Bob are going through all of this. I wish you luck.

As far as the neck dissection is concerned, it really was not a big deal in my case. Compared to the tongue surgery, it was a piece of cake. There was no real pain in that area during the healing, but there were a lot of stitches for about a week. A common problem after neck dissections is lymphedema. This is swelling from the build-up of lymph fluid in the area of the surgery, as there are not as many nodes available to move the fluids away. A good massage or physical therapist can help a great deal if this occurs. This doesn't happen to everyone and the occurence may be related to the number of nodes removed and therefore, the number still left in.

My scar is well hidden in the creases of my neck and is therefore almost invisible. I had an excellent surgeon and despite his expertise, as expected, I am still numb in the area of the incision. This is really no big deal and is certainly a small price to pay for the advantage gained from the removal of the nodes.

Please keep us posted as to Bob's progress and I hope my post has been helpful. Please don't hesitate to keep asking questions.

Jerry