Radical Neck Dissection

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  • Bloop19
    Bloop19 Member Posts: 2
    #22
    dianehurley said:

    just diagnosed with this and frightened
    This is my first time also responding to a message board.My doctor told me to STAY away from
    anything on the internet...probably because I would discover how horrible this is!
    so after reading jsut a few of these I decided to jump in here,God Bless you with
    success on the 20th...but i did'nt even hear anything about replacing half a tongue...omg
    I can't sleep,and as you know can't eat much,monday comes ct scans to see how advanced it is
    then i have some hard decisions to make,I can't imagine having to LEARN HOW TO SWALLOW,BREATHE TALK and all that other therapy....never mind the pain...are there any victories out there
    among you in terms of getting the cancer all out of you?they really want to keep you in
    the dark with what you're really looking at.last week when I had the surgical biopsy,it
    was torture....my neck swelled up afterwards and I was rushed back into the er dehyrdrated
    because I could'nteven swallow water
    THANKS.............LIVING IN HOPE BUT WALKING IN DREAD
    DIANE

    Having neck dissection tomorrow
    My doctor told me to quit reading the internet too but I can't!! I am having radical neck dissection tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. I am not so scared of the surgery as I am the chemo and radiation following it in six weeks. I sometimes think about refusing the radiation it sounds so terrible. I am told I have a high tolerance for pain but it is the idea of losing teeth and maybe hair and basically being housebound for weeks on end that make me wonder if quality of life is going to be worth it. Right now I have no pain or symptoms that I even have cancer. The dentist found it when I went in for a routine visit. But it has already gone into my lymph nodes so they want to be as aggressive as they can before it spreads all over. I had a PET scan and so far there doesn't appear to be any cancer anywhere besides under my tongue and in my right lymph nodes.
  • BeenThereDoneThat
    BeenThereDoneThat Member Posts: 33
    #23
    Bloop19 said:

    Having neck dissection tomorrow
    My doctor told me to quit reading the internet too but I can't!! I am having radical neck dissection tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. I am not so scared of the surgery as I am the chemo and radiation following it in six weeks. I sometimes think about refusing the radiation it sounds so terrible. I am told I have a high tolerance for pain but it is the idea of losing teeth and maybe hair and basically being housebound for weeks on end that make me wonder if quality of life is going to be worth it. Right now I have no pain or symptoms that I even have cancer. The dentist found it when I went in for a routine visit. But it has already gone into my lymph nodes so they want to be as aggressive as they can before it spreads all over. I had a PET scan and so far there doesn't appear to be any cancer anywhere besides under my tongue and in my right lymph nodes.

    bloop
    I understand what you're feeling. You will be surprised how resilient you and your body are. There will be ups and downs (a roller coaster!), but it will be worth it. I had my surgery and chemo/rad over 5 years ago, and I am still here!

    Remember the 3 F's.....faith, family and friends. They will get you through.

    I'll be rooting for you. And you can see from these posts that others are too!

    George
  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #24
    Bloop19 said:

    Having neck dissection tomorrow
    My doctor told me to quit reading the internet too but I can't!! I am having radical neck dissection tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. I am not so scared of the surgery as I am the chemo and radiation following it in six weeks. I sometimes think about refusing the radiation it sounds so terrible. I am told I have a high tolerance for pain but it is the idea of losing teeth and maybe hair and basically being housebound for weeks on end that make me wonder if quality of life is going to be worth it. Right now I have no pain or symptoms that I even have cancer. The dentist found it when I went in for a routine visit. But it has already gone into my lymph nodes so they want to be as aggressive as they can before it spreads all over. I had a PET scan and so far there doesn't appear to be any cancer anywhere besides under my tongue and in my right lymph nodes.

    Hi Bloop
    You are in the right place my friend; I think George said it best we have all been there, will be praying that all goes well for you.
  • Bloop19
    Bloop19 Member Posts: 2
    #25
    Hondo said:

    Hi Bloop
    You are in the right place my friend; I think George said it best we have all been there, will be praying that all goes well for you.

    Neck dissection complete
    My neck dissection is over. I was in the hospital from Friday 'til Monday and am home now feeling amazingly well. However, there was more cancer than expected and some extra muscle had to be taken so I now have a completely lopsided mouth. I look like one of those ghosts whose mouth is shaped very strangly.

    Thanks for your support. I see the oncologist next and set up my radiation and chemo. I sure hope that I live at least five years to make it worth the trouble. But from what I'm reading it is a small percentage for 5 year survival when you're in stage IV and it is in most of your lymph nodes.

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