Strange sensations after - robotic surgery to remove the tumor at the base of his tongue and neck dissection (27 lymph nodes removed) .

Hi , my hubby had mandibular cancer and he has lost feeling in one side of hes jaw which hasnt come back and surgery was last May followed by 6 weeks of rt. He did have a tight feeling under neck but that has gone but he didnt have that feeling in hes shoulder. Everyones different and it will get easier with time . Sending you all the best xx

Hi Beermat

yep, all sounds familiar to me, although my surgery was for jaw cancer and lymph nodes removed, two years plus down the line I still have’ weird feelings’ and sensations. Your hubby is still very much in early days and hopefully things will improve, but perhaps not back to where he was before.  Wishing him all the best.

June

Good evening Beermat ( love your user name), this is quite normal to get this discomfort and in most cases, it will improve and return to normal. My consultant contacted a physio who gave me exercises to do as like your husband my nerves tendons etc were damaged during surgery, its good that his consultant is honest with his 6-12 month recovery from the nerve damage. We all recover at different rates so tell your husband to take it easy and let his body recover, wishing you both all the best for his continued recovery, take care.

                                                              Chris x

Hi  I had similar.  Around 18 months for me.  I still have amusing sensations like scratching me neck and it feels like I am scratching the top of my ear.  I found a hot shower with a massage shower head worked well to release the tightness in my neck each morning.

Hi - I’m 2 months post surgery (TORS and 58 lymph nodes).  My neck is still tender and tight but I have been massaging and stretching daily. I had numbness and some paralysis across my face, neck, jaw, upper chest and ears. It is getting better - my consultant has said it could be 12 months to repair but it’s possible that the numbness from ear and under jaw is permanent. It feels very strange but I think is normal. 

Yes like all the others that have replied I too have all those strange sensations. I had jaw cancer and have had neck dissections to both sides of my neck over time as well as 3 other ops at different times for the jaw cancer. I still have a feeling of tightness where I was cut from below my ear to my collar bone for the neck dissections. Also have altered sensation although it has improved over time. If it feels itchy when I scratch the area it feels very strange. It is something I have got used to over the years. Perhaps a bit of massage on your husband's shoulder may help the sensation he is describing. I had the same feeling in my neck after one of my ops. It felt like cramp and was very uncomfortable. I found that when I massaged it it did ping and release so the sensation went away. I had to do this for a few months and then suddenly it just went away.

Lyn

Thank you all for replying its been very helpful. Wishing you all the best to recovery and good health