Yep, Gary, we are all here. Seriously, you will fly through the neck dissection. You will become something of a conversation piece, bolts or not. My son got a real charge out of going to the store with me after I was "presentable" in public, and seeing the reactions of people.

One tip -- check with your doctor before the surgery to see if they are going to put a dressing on the incision. Because my neck felt like I was wearing a brick turtleneck, I just assumed that there was a surgical dressing. Nope -- just the incision and the staples, plus the drains for effect. The unaware visitor can turn several shades of green pretty quickly. ;-)