@ingleside You are dealing with a lot after that surgery. I have not experienced pain with incisions, but have had increasing tenderness over time, just assuming this is normal for a healed incision 14 years later. What I have found recently is that the tenderness and tightness can be improved with direct massage and stretching and fascial release. Dealing with fibrosis and atrophy of facial and neck muscles years after radiation has me seeking out therapies. Red light therapy has been most helpful, combined with the stretching and massage. It sounds like your pain is more nerve pain, especially with it responding to Gabapentin. Have you ever researched medicinal mushrooms? The Lion's Mane mushroom is helpful for nerve healing. I could tell a difference in improvement of facial nerve function when I started it 6 years ago even though my facial nerve paralysis was post surgery since 2012. It's just a thought and I began learning about mushrooms with a book entitled The Rebel's Apothecary by Jennifer Sansouci.