Questions about removal of lymph nodes

You have found the best group on the internet....the people here are smart, helpful, and very supportive.

Yes....it could have taken 8 months for the cancer to pop up in a lymph node.  Many of us found the lymph node before we found out about anything else.  Removal of the rest of her lymph nodes sounds very prudent to me.  As is having both radiation and chemo.  Most of us have had both.  Rads to kill all those nasty cells, and chemo to do the clean up on any escapees. 

You didn't say how old your mom is.....I was 61 when I was diagnosed....I'm almost 65 now (just a little short of 3 years out of treatment).  I will say...taking care of grandma and your mom is going to leave you with a pretty full plate.  Others will chime in here, and offer more advice.

I'm glad you found us.....these folks saved my bacon when I was in treatment.....lots of tips and tricks to get through treatment easier.  This is no walk in the park, so tell mom to hang onto her seat.....she'll come out the other side ok, just getting there can get rocky.

p

Wow, that is a lot for you to have to process. I have had a double radial neck dissesion level 2~5. They took 86 total and 48 from the left and 38 from the right side. Section 1 is under the chin. You have over 200 in your neck so when they say they are going to remove them they do not take them all. I was T3,N0,M0, SCC in the larynx just above the vocal cords. I have COPD so they had to remove my larnyx to be able to do the surgery. As far as what to expect, there is numbness at first and sone might come back. It does depend how good the surgen is. Mine was one of the best on the west coast. I am numb from my left ear to the center of the chin. I didn't get any problems in the sholder but have heard of persons having problems with the muscles there. My neck feels like someone is streaching the skin, like you would do to a drum but you kinda get used to it. I do have to take muscle relaxers to be able to turn it as far as I did before. The neck can get some fluid build up from the lymph system as it finds a new path, but I never had that. This is a very commin practis to remove the glands so it has no where to spread to.

A PET/CT is normal to help locate the cancer. They offen will do chemo and radiation to kill the cancer and shrink tumors and treat the condition. The chemo and radiation can be rough, but so many here have been through it and will help with your questions. [I only had surgery, no chemo or radistion] As the caregiver of both, you will have to remember to set aside some time for you. You need to beable to rest if you're going to be help to anyone. It is hard on the caregiver as your loved one is going through this and you can't make it go away. The paitent does understand, but can get a little sharp at times as you are ALL scared. Sometimes it helps to just come here and vent. Just writing it down helps, and we have been there and do understand. Thoughts and prayers for you.

Bill

"Leach" is a perfect word. Lymph nodes are just filters made of tissue. They are like a daisy chain of christmas lights interconnected. They are removed as entire chains of multiple lymph nodes.  They leach from one to another via gravity. We are loaded with these things and the head and neck and chest are full of them. We are capable of making new drain pathways for the lymph fluid although much narrower and it takes some time. Generally the midline of the tongue is used to divide the geography of the mouth from left to right. One of those little buggers just took a fork in the road to the right. She had a left neck  disection and was spared the chemo and radiation in the hope that it would not be needed. It is not an unusual practice to attack this stuff incremently as needed. She is now eligible for chemo and radiation since it wasn't previously used. Many people get full neck disections including both sides. One side only is called a selective neck disection.  The treatment seems right in line with protocol. All the best to your Mom.