Petey......neck and ear numbness.....and lip function.......ALL of these got better for me slowly. My lip won't make a perfect "O" but otherwise, it has gradually come back to normal. My ear drove me crazy with the numbness....felt like an elephant's ear, and actually hurt is a most bizarre way if it was touched. Then it began to improve, and it developed an itch that was the nerves regenerating, I guess........bothersome but much better than numbness. Now I realize....18 mo. out....that that itchy feeling is mostly gone too, and my ear is 98% normal. My ear felt clogged at first, and we thought I might have to get tubes put in, but with the use of Sudafed regularly.....and time....that resolved too.

So....be hopeful. In time, I guarantee that most of those things will improve for you.

.but probably you will still have to shave by color just to be on the safe side!

XO

Colleen--T-2N0M0 SCC dx'd 12/28/05...Hemi-maxillectomy, partial palatectomy, neck dissection 1/4/06....clear margins, neg. nodes....no radiation, no chemo....Cancer-free at 4 years!