Jack, this is wonderful news! I suspect he is going to be pretty miserable for a couple of days. I remember when my husband, a pretty tough character, had his tonsils out at age 25. He had one nasty sore throat for about a week. Lots of Jell-O and ice cream, that's for sure. My experience with the neck dissection was that the pain was absolutely minimal, and it was the swelling and drains which were a nuisance. Eric should be fine with you and his family there to support him. Thank you very much for taking the time to let us know this good outcome.
Joanna