Amy,

I was standing in your shoes about 18 months ago. Ken had lymph nodes removed on the right side of his neck and 5 came back positive. Overall, the surgery was not a cake walk. Ken had to have his jugular vein tied off on the right side because one lymph node was tangled around it and he had to have another one 'scrapped' off the base of his skull. I wanted to mention this because you need to know what questions to ask about any medical procedure (pros/cons). The surgery was painful, but Ken recovered very quickly from it. Ken is a fishing guide and we both talked to his ENT about how critically important it was for Ken to keep his arm mobility.

I encourage you to read through the "getting through it project" section of this board. You will see many postings about 'what I wish I had known' - many from the caregiver's perspective.

Hang in there. You are not alone in this fight. We are all right here any time you need to chat.

Carol R.