My sister had surgery on 2/22/02 to remove a tonsil and 22 lymph nodes(one cancerous). She still complains of soreness in this area and right under her neck. She completed radiation 6 weeks ago (twice a day for 6 weeks). Does this sound familiar to anyone else this far away from the surgery? Her tonsil was cancerous too. They did not remove both.
Thank you for any help.

Sorry my message confused even myself. Her tonsil(cancerous)l and 22 lymph nodes( 1 cancerous) were removed. The other tonsil they left alone. But she says she is sore where the lymph nodes were removed and right under her neck.

I would be surprised if she wasn't still sore given all the tissue that was removed. Remember that the radiation is also going to slow down the healing process as well. My neck was sore for a good 6 months after surgery, that is the part that wasn't left permanently numb as a nerve bundle had to be cut during the removal of my nodes. The accumulated lymph fluids which now have no where to go (and which will take some time to find new pathways) also make this area feel unusual, though I wouldn't define it as pain. If you are thinking that they missed some cancerous material, just remember that cancerous nodes are usually painless, and this is probably residual discomfort from the surgical procedure.