I also had a selective neck dissection --about 24 glands--though I had it done first along with the partial glossectomy, before radiation (I still have that nasty part ahead of me). The neck by itself wasn't a big deal at all, a little pain and swelling as Kirk said and you have to deal with the drain tube for a few days (I had mine removed 3 days after surgery) and the staples for a few days more. It was the tongue surgery, not the neck surgery, that gave me problems eating.