So affraid

Are you really on a gurnee?
That is so cool! My selective disection on left side was the easiest part of this whole treatment, you'res will be fine.

Pray
I said a prayer for you Brad. Say one for yourself. It helps.

Bob

adventurebob said:

Pray
I said a prayer for you Brad. Say one for yourself. It helps.

Bob

Brad i am sorry you are
Brad i am sorry you are scared and stressing. That is the way I was for my dilation proceedures.

My neck dissection was at the beginning of my journey and I was a liitle nervous, but not freaking out like I usually do now. I just wanted that crap out of me so bad that I wanted it done and over with.

Saying a prayer for you. I know it's hard. Just remember that we all understand and we are here for support and to send you good thought, prayers, and healing vibes.

Blessings,

Sweet

luv2cut1 said:

Brad
This whole cancer thing is so scary. My husband had a radical neck dissection with a pectoral flap in 2009. While it was not overly fun, it was definitely worth it to try to get rid of the cancer beast forever. He is doing well now, and while he does have some side effects, the alternative would have been much worse. Please stay strong, hang in there, and know we are all praying for you.

Myka

Brad, I think I may have mentioned elsewhere but I am now about three weeks post-dissection and I can tell you that recovering from this is a whole lot better than recovering from rads and chemo. I would much rather be recovering from surgery than from something that messes up my insides the way they do.

I looked terrible for the first three days until they took out the drains. After that I just had a line of stitches under my jaw which they took out the next week. Now, two weeks after removal, it is a little pink and there is a sort of divot caused as much by accumulation of fluid in the general area as by anything directly related to the surgery. I use warm compresses to try to move around the fluid a little more and get rid of more of the wattle under the chin. I have complete mobility of the head and neck and it just pulls a little when I get all the way to the end. My teenage son thinks the scar is pretty cool.

To be honest, the bad news is that I still have a sore jaw and may have some sores on the inside. As a result, where I was eating almost normally before the surgery, I am now back on softer foods (I have a bowl of ziti in front of me now). But this is a little better and I expect it to go away in the next weeks.

The good news is that I am well enough to have gone back to playing hockey (I wear a turtleneck under my goalie throat protector) and am headed back to Mexico for a week of work.

So the message is that I agree with the others: neck dissection, which I was also dreading, turned out not to be the monster I'd feared. Good luck and let us know, Doug

Think Positive
I know that is way easy to say, especially under the conditions...but stay strong and realize what is actually going on...they are actually and physically removing the cancer from you...

Others have led the way for you, as you are doing for futures to come.

Thoughts and prayers, buddy...

John

mixleader said:

Scared
Hi, Brad. Of course you're scared. What human would not be? I was scared before mine as well. As others have said, think of this as the cancer being removed from your body and try to relax and accept it. Best of luck. Best wishes and prayers headed your way.

Roger

Positive energy headed your way
Brad,

Completely understand if your nervous on this one. Like others here, I had tonsillectomy, radical neck dissection, rads and chemo and by far and away the easiest thing I dealt with was the neck dissection.

Hang in there brother. Positive energy headed your way!!

Greg

Thinking about you
Brad,


I am can imagine you are afraid, and that is alright. You will fight through this and beat this beast once and for all.

Much Love,

Kathy

Kimba1505 said:

Cut and Heal.
That is what surgery is. They cut, and then you heal. Very straight forward and much more "natural" than chemo (chemicals) and radiation (space rays). Mark had a radical neck dissection only a few days following the tonsil and other inside stuff removed. It was very dramatic, but radical is. Selective, I hear, is better.
Frankly, I understand the scary part of going into surgery. Seems that if you weren't scared, there would be some sort of emotional denial. I like your honesty. People know better how to be there for you, when you tell them how you really feel.
Good luck to you Brad.
Kim

Thinking about you
Brad, you've been through a lot of treatment so far. I think you're going to be suprised at how you come through this.

And yes, it wouldn't be quite right if you didn't have some fear.

They're going to go in and just clean up the battlefield then let the healing begin.

Best of luck.
Lisa

Hal61 said:

Hope you're feeling better
Hi Brad, I imagine you'll be reading this after the surgery. I'm sure you're feeling better, no apprehension. I had the left side done about 8 months back, and it's doing fine. Like everyone says, surgery is something your body can understand, and heal from. One practical note. If you're like me, start taking a daily stool softener to help things along if they give you morphine. It's easy to forget, but will remind you if you don't.
Hoping your recovery is painless and steady.

best, Hal

Hi Brad
It is ok; I believe we all have times when we are scared when it comes to our body. I am keeping you in my prayer my friend.

Hondo