anyone have the neck dissection AFTER rad/chemo?

but it didn't come to pass.  My ENT told me that I'd be in for a dissection if the nodes didn't disappear after rads and chemo.....mine did so I didn't have to face that.  Pretty much everybody says the dissection was a piece of cake compared to the chemo and rads.

p

ahollie said:

he still has 5 rads and they

he still has 5 rads and they are going to give him an extra week of chemo afterwards..so we hope that happens..that it disappears...they said its dead..thank goodness..pleasepray that his disappears also....he is scared to have another surgery!

Was amazed how quickly I got over dissection. I hope it doesn't come to it but if it does can advise on physio etc. G.

ahollie said:

thank you ..i feel better

thank you ..i feel better ...the dr's description was horrible...could you or would you mind sending me a picture?

The Superthread might have a picture tht someone posted.  Doctor usually goes through the crease (wrinkle) in the neck.  Not very noticable after awhile.  I had my dissection 1 year after first treatment.  Mine was mets.  They removed 14 lymph nodes and a salivary gland.  I did have more radiation after that and I did heal well.

Yes I had one immediately after Rads and chemo.  Selective with 9 nodes removed. My pathology was returned negative. Not unusual  nor uncommon to have it afterward. I think I have some pictures around somewhere. Pm me if you wish and I'll try and dig them up. They however look worse than the actual expereince which was rather unremarkable. The name of this procedure is just awful and should be changed to something less shocking like, "Ripping your throat open". FYI you can view the entire operation on you tube. 

Generally the post rad surgery, called salvage surgery, seems like it is done once recovery from rads. Not too many go through post rad surgery. It seems like the would wait a bit to see how the body does first. So many things are changing while recovering it seems hard to second guess a need to do this procedure. Maybe they are just mentioning it might be necessary just to keep you updated. Good luck, Don

ratface said:

It was a Personal choice

I requested a disection based on my particular diagnosis relative to recurrence risks and my personal risk tolerances.  A roll of the dice on my part. The choices are always yours. My treating physician disagreed. There are risks on both sides of the decision which you must arrive at on your own terms. I think it's crucial that you are on that path and will arrive at your personal comfort level. 

You are so correct. The specific path each of us cancer patients takes is a personal journey influenced by our own unique circumstances, both personal and emotional. We each face different junctures and have our own decisions to make at each one. Kind of goes with the new "normal" each of us grows into down the road.

ahollie said:

he still has 5 rads and they

he still has 5 rads and they are going to give him an extra week of chemo afterwards..so we hope that happens..that it disappears...they said its dead..thank goodness..pleasepray that his disappears also....he is scared to have another surgery!

I never had rads or chemo but they did the neck dissection on both sides II~V 86 glands total, [48 on left and 38 on right side]at the same time they took out my tumor and larnix. I had some swelling and a lot of numbness but I did fine. Went back to work in 10 weeks. Thoughts and prayers for him.

wmc  Oct 2013

I had mine after chemo and chemo/radiotherapy and it was a piece of cake - out of hospital after only 5 days. However, mine was a radical dissection so I lost a lot of movement in my shoulder and arm.

Good luck!

I posted before and after photos on my page. The immediate after op pic is gruesome but not as bad as it looks and a few weeks later I was practically back to norm. You'd have to scroll back to about August/sept last year.

My husband had the neck dissection after chemo/rads.  The tumor stopped shrinking halfway through treatement.  The dissection is not fun, but a walk in the park compared to the chemo and rads.  I do still remember getting the results - the tumor stopped shrinking because it had died on the inside and had a nice little shell keeping it in shape.  Kind of like those mineral formations that look like eggs and you break them open to find mostly empty space and a bunch of crystals.  I was certainly happy to hear that no sign of cancer was found in any of the other lymph nodes.  My husband seems to think it was worth it as well.