Radical neck dissection

Hi TjP789

the scar is not that bad it heals very fast and with time becomes barely visible still a dissection is something that requires your attention for more or less forever you will need quite a lot of stretching and other exercises to keep the shoulder functional and pain free but once you get used to it it is absolutely manageable 

It really depends on 2 things, the quality of your surgeon and how invasive they need to be; especially  if the tumour is wrapped around anything vital like the jugular.  You need to speak to your surgeon.  I've had 2 neck dissections with level 2 and below lymph nodes removed.  I found them easy to recover from and the scars are absolutely nothing like you will see on Google - according to my surgeon that is so "old hat" to operate like that.  Unless you knew I would deify you to say I'd had neck dissections on first meeting.  You may have some long lasting side effects from nerve damage.  Again talk to your surgeon about that.  I have some but it is not life limiting and I have learned to adapt to the limitations I now have.  I still sail and garden etc, just do things a slightly different way. 

I hope this helps - ask anything further you want.

Thank you for both for your insight. Good to know the scars I did see on google we’re old ones . But the nerve damage is something I will be bringing up to my surgeon come Friday.

How long ago were your surgery’s ?

Hi TjP789

I had a left neck dissection in June 2018 and the scar has healed really well.

As Peter says, it depends very much on how invasive the dissection is as to how much lasting nerve damage there is.  For me there were no major problems during surgery to remove lymph nodes but I did have some nerve damage which is unavoidable and some of which has healed.

I couldn't lift my left arm out to the side - this took about 6 months and physio to improve.  The left half of my face, ear and neck was completely numb and I had limited range when turning my head from side to side and up and down.  The nerves here have mostly repaired but my ear and part of my neck are still numb.  My left arm and shoulder aren't as strong as they were.

As Riotsupervisor says, it's important to do daily exercises to keep the area as supple as possible - these should be lifelong. 

Good luck for Friday.

Linda x

Ho-boy sound like a rocky road I’m gonna be going down.

Do you eventually get use to the numbness or is it a constant annoyance? Thank you for your experience Linda 

TJP

Depending on the dissection, much of the nerve damage is caused by the surgeon having to move nerves out of the way and because we're all different not everyone gets the same damage.

I have largely got used to the remaining numbness but it does take me by surprise now and then!

Linda x 

My operations we Nov 19 and Jan 20.  Don't let the nerve damage worry you too much.  Some of it can be quite "funny" - I can scratch my neck and it feels like I am touching the top of my ear!  Other issues I've had with my shoulder is that I can lift a 25kg bag of cement close to my body, but I can't reach out and raise a pint of beer at arms length .  Finally I have a numb chest.  It used to feel like sunburn, but now no longer worries me.  Physio and time are great healers.  I sort of knew what I was getting into with this type of nerve damage from a badly broken leg decades ago where they had to cut the nerves to repair it.  I still can't feel anything in my thigh, but I am used to it now.

The shoulder relates to a nerve called the accessory nerve that runs though the surgery site.  Surgeons are good at doing the minimal possible damage to that as is possible.

There are some potentially more disfiguring nerve issues relating the mouth.  I believe they are very rare, but worth exploring these with your clinical team.

My surgery was almost two years ago but I still freak out when I have some "new" kind of sensation in my neck or this morning I woke up in cold sweat palpating my neck as yesterday I thought about your case, then fell asleep and had a dream I have a new lump as well

not all damage is in the nerves, brain is also under pressure 

btw I have exactly the same eerie neural link between my neck and my ear now I thought it is just me

Hi Peter ,Well they did my neck dissection yesterday and am feeling pretty low. Did you have headaches or tongue swelling?I noticed my shoulder and arm getting stiffer ....I don’t even want to mention how disfigured I feel. Did you have any of these problems too? Thanks TjP

Hi TjP  I hope you are feeling a little better now.  It is quite rough for the first few days. Much of that has to do with what they have to physically  do to you, I think. 

Headaches may be a post anaesthetic thing.  I hope you are keeping up your fluid intake to flush through your system??

Your tongue and throat may be bruised from where they put the breathing tube in.  I certainly did not experience any long term issues in this area from my dissections.

I suspect your arm and shoulder are par for the course.  Trust me that in almost all cases they will get better.  After nearly 15 months I realised the other day that I could sneeze into the crook of my arm for the first time.  I was amazed as I never thought I'd get that movement back.  Slow and steady; physio really helps.

Everything will feel disfigured at the moment.  Lots of swelling and bruising, plus you may have drains and  will have some clips/stitches plus a mucky looking bandage over the cut.  It will get better.  When you can try some E45 rubbed into the scar.  That does many things - moisturises the scar and gets you used to feeling that area.  My profile photo is of me some 9 months post the second dissection.  So you should feel much more comfortable with it in a month or so; especially once the stitches are out.