Hi All,
It’s 10 days since the above surgery. The maxillofacial surgeon took out Levels 1-4 lymph nodes and muscle tissue on the right side..unfortunately he had to cut the great auricular nerve, so I have no feeling of my right ear or parotid gland area. Same for the affected neck area but hopefully that will come back eventually.
For those that have had this procedure, is it normal to feel like you have a metal brace around your neck due to the tightness and swelling and for it to feel rock hard under the skin above the cut line? How long was it before that eased? Are we talking weeks or months? Are there any other symptoms or side effects that are likely to crop up?
I had dissolvable stitches underneath the cut and on the surface the scar is healing quite well so far, but is there anything I can be doing to help the overall healing along. I’m taking a high dose turmeric supplement as an anti inflammatory, doing my assigned exercises, eating healthily (cutting out as much sugar as possible) and putting Vaseline along the cut line.
Would be grateful to hear your own experiences.
Thank you.
Hi. I can’t help personally but there is a recent thread about this here
Dani
Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019
Good evening, Raewyn. I had stiffness and hard skin after my neck dissection. I must admit they try to hide the scar as much as possible, and it will be barely visible to strangers in time. The hardness will slowly improve, taking months rather than weeks. I used to use bio oil once everything had healed up, as it helps with skin recovery. All the best for your continued recovery.
Chrisx
Its sometimes not easy but its worth it !
