My husband John had the neck dissection in October. His attitude is and has been one of a great fighter and positive. The neck dissection seemed to put him back alot. It may have been that the radiation was continuing to work and we did not realize it. Like your husband, John was starting to eat and his voice was coming around. After the radical, he went backward alot. His attitude stayed good but he was not able to eat and his voice got worse. It is now January and he is doing much better again. He is trying to eat but has epiglottis problems (caused by the radiation not surgery).
John's surgery was radical--22 nodes, juglar vein and the large muscle in front. Most people don't have that. We were told that it was because the radiation had made the area a mass and the surgeon did not want to cut through to take out the node thereby possibly releasing any remaining cancer. He chose while in surgery to take it all. The biopsy came back negative. John has never looked back. He is ok with the surgeon's decision.
I did post in another section a problem we are currently having with increased intracranial pressure. We are waiting test results but it may be from the removal of the juglar vein.

Good luck and don't look back.
Meredith