Turkey Neck

ditto1
ditto1 Member Posts: 660
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I realize we all have been thru or are going thru some tough treatments and side effects. Recently I posted On Fire about neck burns. Made it thru the heavy pain but between my weight loss 30lbs and treatments I guess, I have this amazing turkey neck. Not sure what the term is for the portion of the turkeys neck that has the skin hanging but thats what Im dealing with. Me I don't really care, not sure if I will get my beard back to cover it or not. Its just weird at night when I roll my head from one side to the other you can feel the skin droop. Wonder if it would blow in a good wind. So a bit of a poops and grin post, but just wondered if Im the only one with the Goble Goble neck or if when Im out and about I might find a fellow HN survivor by checking under their chin....Im willing to bet it was the weight loss and being 56 years old, and Gravity.....?

Comments

  • Billie67
    Billie67 Member Posts: 898
    #2
    mine did that too at first
    mine did that too at first but then it did tighten back up. I didn't have a horrible case of it but enough to notice that it was very different than before treatment. Hopefully yours will calm down too.
    As for the beard, I met a man a couple of weeks ago and he finished treatment 3 years ago and still doesn't have his beard back. Not that it will be the same in your case but just telling you about him. He kind of likes it, says it saves him a lot of time in the mornings. Being a girl, i wish that would have happened to my legs :) Ok I take it back, we should be careful what we wish for.

    Good luck to you and keep up the happy healing.
    Billie
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #3
    bad case of turkey neck
    Hi ditto1,

    Amazing turkey neck or regular turkey neck, which is it? I think amazing would be something to be envied and everyone would want it. Regular is just plain extra skin (reserved for old, old age) and sped up by the repeated application of radiation. I think, skin flapping in the wind or flapping on the pillow qualifies as regular turkey neck, and not amazing turkey neck.

    As for the age, you are getting up there, a whole year older than I am and you have to lose 15 more pounds to catch up with me and the turkey neck for me is based on head and neck position totally, so I say I have baby turkey neck (mostly smooth and silky with a touch of flap).

    Whiskers get a fake beard, wear turtle necks and scarves.


    Best,

    Matt
  • osmotar
    osmotar Member Posts: 1,006
    #4
    Gobble gobble
    Ditto,
    I have some what of a turkey neck too, somedays not as noticeable...other days ...the mornings are better, than the end of the day. I said something to my onco , she explained about lymphatic drainage, so on and so on. I asked about therapy and she said if its still their in a year we could discuss therapy. Somedays I guess I'm the only one who notices it, but in the end if this is the worse side effect of all the tx I had, I guess I came out the other side ok.

    Linda
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #5
    Turky Neck Club...
    I was also a member of the hair club for men....ooops, that's another forum, I mean Turky Neck Club.

    In your case and many, it's probably a combination of the two...

    Weight loss, and lymphatic fluids that build up. The drainage paths get damanged and messed up during rads.

    Eventually it'll more than likely work itself out, new paths established.

    There are some here that have had success with massage, there's a link top MarineE5's post on the SuperThread.

    HWT just posted on it as well;

    Neck Massage Theraphy

    Gooble, Gooble...

    Oh, BTW, the name for that red fleshy skin under the turkeys throat or neck.... It's called a "wattle"...

    Best,
    John
  • ditto1
    ditto1 Member Posts: 660
    #6
    Skiffin16 said:

    Turky Neck Club...
    I was also a member of the hair club for men....ooops, that's another forum, I mean Turky Neck Club.

    In your case and many, it's probably a combination of the two...

    Weight loss, and lymphatic fluids that build up. The drainage paths get damanged and messed up during rads.

    Eventually it'll more than likely work itself out, new paths established.

    There are some here that have had success with massage, there's a link top MarineE5's post on the SuperThread.

    HWT just posted on it as well;

    Neck Massage Theraphy

    Gooble, Gooble...

    Oh, BTW, the name for that red fleshy skin under the turkeys throat or neck.... It's called a "wattle"...

    Best,
    John

    Wattle
    thanks John.
  • Tim6003
    Tim6003 Member Posts: 1,514 Member
    #7
    ditto1 said:

    Wattle
    thanks John.

    Yep, gobble here too...
    Yes, I lost 70lbs during treatmet (I was a really big guy when I started, I was 320lbs) and I am now at a total lost of 85lbs and holding (and I still way 245!!!). Did I mention I play football in high-school...lol.

    I got the neck waddle to .....I was lucky enough to have my wife in the room when the oncologist said you "need to massage it daily" to keep the swelling down and help lymph fluids drain" ...so I still milk that as much as I can ..I think she (wife) is catching on to me now... :)

    Tim

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