DonnaJean, from this thread and the Severe Inflammation thread I can tell you're getting real impaitient for things to get better. That's natural, expected, and a lot of us are in the same boat.

Problem is, and even more frustrating, we have to realize that we're not really in control all that much. The squeezing of the neck we've dissussed--the drug I mentioned didn't seem to help that much. Even worse, last time I took it, and then went out for a walk, my shoulder started hurting again. But then independent of it all, when my neck should be feeling worse because of the activity, it starts feeling better.

So then I ask myself, what he heck is causing it? Docs, as you said, just lump it into the it's annoying but not life threatening so no big deal category. Leaving me wondering if the swelling that I and your husband have is caused by diet, salt intake, barometeric pressure, impending snowfall, density altitude, tide, moon phase, or what.

Maybe the answer is that as much as we want to be, we're not really all that much in control of what's going on. Yes, there's common sense things like eat well, don't drink excessivly, don't smoke, don't do anything stupid or really dangerous. But then, some renegade cell somplace doesn't want to follow the general game plan and goes haywire, then goes on a breeding spree in our bodies and at the end of the day, here we are going through the meat grinder and radiation machines and causing the underwriters at the HMO to get ulcers.

So I complain to the ENT surgeon about the sore shoulder, swollen jaws, tenderness in various places on head and neck, tighness at the neck, and he just finally shakes his head, and says "Only a few years ago with a surgery like yours you would spend 10 days in the hospital, then be off work and resting for 6 weeks. You just spent 5 days in the hospital and then went back to work 3 days after that. The body needs time to heal. You aren't going to rush it no matter how much you try."

So it seems I've taken this opportunity for a Dennis Miller style rant, and I apologise for that. Just needed to vent also I guess. Hope that some of the ideas help others though.
Bob