Many OC patients have struggled with depression and anxiety. This is very common. They also do not like to take meds but it really does help. Please encourage your husband to at least give it a try for 2 months and then if it has not helped to discontinue it. With hundreds of meds on the market, Im sure the doc can find something that will work for your husband.

The strangled feeling is not as common. Many will feel tightness and have swallowing issues but not exactly what you have described your husband feels. But then again, remember everyone is different and has their own little differences and responses to meds, treatment, recovery etc.

Please keep us in the loop. By you posting it could help others who are going thru similar circumstances.

Best wishes with the doc!

Hi... a neck dissection causes muscle and tissue damage and therefore scar tissue. Radiation causes a tightening and damage to anything in it's path. I am two years out of rads in two weeks - and I still have tightness on the surgical side - both sides of my neck were radiated, but it's the operative side that is TIGHT... So I know what your hubby is talking about. This is permanent, it may ease in time but the numbness, and tightness will always be there to some degree as far as I know. Acupuncture and physio, and lymphatic massage all help loosen the area up but it requires diligence daily. As for depression... I'm sure there's plenty of advice here. With all the information in the news about antidepressants, I would push him to go to talk to someone first before taking a pill. He may have to come to terms with the loss of what was his NORMAL STATE... his fear of cancer, and all the baggage that comes with it. hugs and best of luck to you both.

Thank you Charm. I wonder how you get thru the leather neck feeling? Can you still drive? Seems you have gone thru quite a lot treatments, how can you hold your spirit up when you live with a very stiff neck?

Thx Christine &Cheryl, just notice your posts are on my 2nd page.

Cheryl, based on your experience, it seems the surgery side's tightness didn't go away after 2 years? Has it been relieved at least a bit as time goes with all the stretches & PT going on? As my husband has dissection on both sides, it is no wonder he has that tight collar on neck. Has the tightness pulled your head heavily? Did you lost some motion range on shoulder? Can you go back to a new normal way of life? If yes, would you share with us how you get thru all of such discomfort.

Christine, do you think the anti-depressant will help relieve his sensation on the tightness? I believe as my hub is constantly focus on his neck's sensation, it does make it feel worse. Do you think so?

I dont know for certain if it would work but its worth a shot. I do believe when someone continually thinks about a certain medical problem they will begin to think it is worse than it actually is. Im not saying that your husband isnt having a problem. Im thinking he does have something going on but if the doctors cant help him maybe he is thinking about it so much that its all he thinks about and his focus is on how bad this is, not how lucky he is to be alive after everything he went thru. I would give it a try and if it does not help in 2 months (they take a while to work) then discontinue them. I sure is better than having him feel like this all the time.

Good luck!!!

Sylvia

One oncology nurse called it the Wooden Soldier syndrome . I couldd not move my neck without turning my entire head and body. It took a while before I could drive again. Physical therapy and time very slowly worked. My skin actually felt like petrified wood. You could even knock on it. 4 years later, there is still a marked difference between the left side where the dissection was and the right side where only radiation was .
I am sorry for your husband's pain and sorrow. How do I deal with it? Both my deceased father and mother set the example that a man or a woman do what needs to be done and endured for the sake of the family. I try in my way to live up to the sacrifices they made for me, my brothers and sister.
Charm

Hi there yes over time tightness has gotten better - it always feels tight, but I had acupuncture to break up the scar tissue, and return blood flow to the area, I also did lymphatic massage to move the fluid that's trapped there. If he had a lymph nodes removed on both sides then he's likely got a lot of fluid trapped there that will make things feel tighter.lymphatic massage rebuilds the pathways and allows for the lymph fluid to drain. My shoulder's about 98% I have good range of motion but I also have a pinched rotator cuff not related to the surgery but that hurts when I move a certain way. I have full range of motion with my neck.. Bending it back is a bit hard but the more you stretch it the better it gets. it's a long haul. Your hubby having had both sides done has to work twice as hard but it does pay eventually, not everything works for everyone but you never know until you try and and by trying I mean give it a few months to see improvement. Though there often is immediate improvement - continuing makes it last longer if you get what I mean - if you do decide to do have massage etc... Make sure you get someone who is certified and knows what they are doing. best of luck, and despite it all I do feel good.

Sylvia,

I have the same choking feeling. It's like someone has their hands around my neck and is squeezing. I have started a laser treatment to try and break up the scar tissue, but it's only my second treatment on Friday.

I'm just starting to feel sensation on the incision lines, so hopefully that's a sign that the tightness will be letting up. I'm 6 months post surgery so, it's slow going.

I'm posting the laser updates as they occur and if it works I will pass on the specifics. In the meantime, physio has helped somewhat, along with lymphatic massage.

Can you please post a link on the laser treatment? Was that geared for scar tissue? Just want to study the possibility. Thanks!

Also anyone heard of the plastic surgery helps? I somewhat came across a post here stating her husband gets immediate relief after the plastic surgery. Really don't know whether we should give it a shot.