I was just diagnosed with tongue cancer and am scheduled for selective bilateral node dissection. I have been looking for before and after pictures to get an idea of what I am in for. Does anyone have a site I can visit with these kinds of pictures.

Welcome, Lucifen, to the place no one wants to be. I also have had tongue cancer with an upper neck dissection on just the left side. I don't have any before & after pictures to show you, but I can tell you that 7 months post surgery the biggest visual change to my face is swelling around my jawline and under my chin, the latter being from lymphedema, not the surgery. My incision was very neatly done and closed by the reconstructive surgeon and quite honestly, it hardly shows at all. The area is still quite numb but friends that haven't seen me since before my surgery say they don't notice any difference in my overall appearance.

- Margaret

I have had a left neck dissection too along with some tongue removal on both sides of it, I have never heard I look bad, but that I look very healthy and have good color. I know I have a couple of wrinkles where my neck was opened by surgery, But one big positive here, I am alive and still doing quite a few things. This is cancer and you just have to ignore the after affects and live life to its fullest.

I know what you mean. I have searched on the net and It's like a big secret (no one wants to show) I had a neck disection along
with my jaw surgery which resulted in a big scar where they cut
through the lip and down the chin.
There is a scar and it will settle down over time, I imagine, but it will always be there. I am just glad to be alive and healthy.
I just have to overlook it the best I can. I am a manager of
a busy center and don't even feel like I talk very good. I have
to talk slow and deliberate for no one to notice.
It can be done. It's good to be alive and be with my family and keep on going. Make up your mind to live and the rest comes with
you day by day. Sometimes minute by minute.
I wish you the best and am proud that you are trying to do your
homework ahead of time. That is what I did too, and still try to do.
Take care
Debbie
Debbie

I had radiation, Chemo and in Jan 08 left side ND. No one can even tell I had surgery. When I had my physical in August, my family doctor could not believe I even had cancer. For me, any scar, etc was the least of my worries. The surgery itself for me was a piece of cake, although I have some numbness and stiffness.

Main focus should be to beat the beast and try not to worry about the "little" things. Wishing you the best.

Lucifen,
I have sent you a PM of the lovely portrait my grandson did of me shortly after the surgery. Our theme song at that time when I still had a nasal tube was a fovorite of his "I Have an Alien Up My Nose." He says that now he is older (11), has a sketch pad and artist's crayons he will do a better job.
I sat for a portrait painting class for four weekly sessions and no one realized that had a scar. This was a year after my surgery and most of the class knew me as we had taken the same class together several times.
Good luck,
Malka

I had under-chin lymph node removal as part of my Free Flap tongue reconstruction. I now have thick, stiff scar tissue in my neck and the surgical scars are evident if I tilt my head back, however that is also the effect from the previous course of radiation treatment that I had in 2005-6.

Welcome to the site. It is a great place to vent and gather information. If you go to the home page and look under people/patient stories/Larry and read through the first occurance you will see pictures of Larry with a neck dissection. It actually looks worse than it is and outwardly heals pretty quick. The roughest part for me was loss of sensation, hyper sensitivity, and then a period of normalcy repeated over and over. It was like a series of waves hitting the beach where the effects gradually reduce over time. It was more irritating than painful.

The toughest parts about the time period when you first learn you have cancer is the waiting and the lack of information. Don't be afraid to ask any questions of anybody, whether it is your doctor, dentist, or this forum. My biggest complaint is the doctors assume you know what is going on. I don't know what happened with everybody else but my mind shut down both times I was told I have cancer. The only question I had was Why Me? After the initial shock wears off the real questions begin. Keep a pen and papaer handy for writeing them down.

Keep everybody informed of what you treatment plan is and how you are getting along. Good luck.

I love my neck dissection....makes me look slimmer..on that side! I told my surgeon that I wished he had done both sides for a good face lift! (J/K!)

You'll be fine....will be glad to send a pic by email if you wish. My scar does show, but I pay it no mind whatsoever. I am glad to be alive, and I was thrilled to have that neck dissection....proved as much as possible that my cancer hadn't spread, and it also removed the possible pathway for metastasis if indeed I did have a remaining cell or two. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I hope it's true!)

Hi I was exactly in your spot when I was told in begining of August of the surgery I was going to have. I was more worried about the feeding tube and the trach. But as it turns out I had really no worries cause after my surgery I don't remember much especially not concerning the tubes and the trach. As far as the scars and the marks left from surgery the neck dissection is not all that noticeable as most surgeons are very good and follow the already creases in your neck. For me the only problem was a slight infection in the incision and they believed that was caused due to diabeties. I really don't think you have anything to worry about but I get the feeling it is not a worry you were like me just want to know. I think there are some people on the site that have pictures attached to their bloggs but not sure how to get to them again...I have erased the links...I don't know what protocol is and don't want to cross any lines but I do know that the blog helped visualize it for me.

Like I said I don't think you are worried about what you will look like just what to expect...I showed my daughter the pictures so she wouldn't be surprised when she saw me in hospital. Hopefully someone with pictures will answer you