Hello. I am 10 years from SCC in my external ear canal, with metastatic disease now. I had a temporal bone resection and select neck dissection as my original surgery at Mayo Clinic MN. Even though CT scan showed normal nodes this was their approach especially since I had bone invasion. The nodes were clear but with facial nerve involvement and potential parotid salivary gland, those were removed also. I am surprised that not even a few nodes were taken at your surgery but perhaps the early catch of your small tumor made the decision. Since my surgery was all done at once, the drilling out of the bone around my ear causing dizziness and facial paralysis were more overwhelming than the neck surgery healing. Some skin stretching and topical treatment of the scar was all that I did. Radiation for me was ear/skull centered centered but I still had skin inflammation and ulcerations orally and change of taste buds. Eating was tough but I had an oral lidocaine prescribed to numb mouth prior to eating. A preparation called magic mouthwash from the pharmacy was also soothing. I made it thru 7 weeks without a stomach tube for feeding, but others do not. Dry mouth is an issue now but there are many solutions for that, and staying hydrated is a huge help. My oncologist recommended joining SPOHNC which is Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer as they have lots of information. Don't look back at the what ifs as you cannot change anything. Just move forward with this next step and if you are not agreeing with your doctor, ask for a referral to a large cancer center or major referral center for another opinion. We drive 10 hours to MN for the excellent care at Mayo Clinic and will continue to do so as this level of care is amazing. Good luck to you.

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