Anyone had a total radical neck dissection?

Yes. It could be grow to be so big and he could lose function of his right arm. Radiation at his age is not advised because they think they can remove it. It has been checked twice, it is benign. It's just huge. TY

@tspears, I can imagine that you're worried about your son. He is so young. Will surgery be the only treatment that is necessary in his case?

Thank you. My son age 29 has a 5 inch benign tumor on his brachial plexus. It's growing toward his armpit (lymph nodes). It is a schwannoma. His surgery is July 24. I will encourage him to do neck exercises (when the Dr says it's safe). It's so overwhelming !!! I appreciate your insight. Prayer for you and your family 🌟

Doing very well. Very few lingering side effects from the neck dissection although the area still feels tight. I do active self-massage on the neck area with oil to help break up the scar tissue. Also, have been consistent in neck exercises to improve range of motion. Back to doing everything that I did before the surgery (golf, yoga, weight training, hockey).

I also suffered from some lymphedema due to the lymph nodes being removed but again, lymphatic massage helped ease the symptoms and I no longer need to do the massage routine.

How are you today after 2 year after surgery?

Hi!
I had a modified neck resection years ago along with an accessory nerve injury. The pain was terrible, but 20 years later, I’m still here. Although it has changed my life, I’ve learned to live with the new normal.

I’m so sorry that you are going through this. I completely understand about the pain. I’m still dealing with pain myself 4 weeks later. The surgeon made me think I would be back to normal pretty quickly as well… I think they have never been through it so they have no idea what it’s like in recovery!
Thank you for the tip on swallowing!! I will definitely try that.
Praying that you have some improvement soon. Rest and be easy on yourself, and know that you are not alone.

hi tcsurvivor4, jan. 31, 2023 i had my surgery, couldn't save the right vocal chord, full of cancer. the cancer attached itself to the jugular, thorax and other areas and they had to cut around all of those organs to get it out. the pathology report is suppose to be ready in 10 days. they said the nodule was the size of an orange. i can breathe, thank god. all of my back and neck hurts all the way up to the top of my head. thing is, i am having a hard time talking and when i do its then i want to start coughing. i do drink alot of water and i get up alot during the nite, so again, i am wetting the one and only vocal chord. i said the very same thing trying to eat some oatmeal this morning, it is getting tiresome, i went on another site to see who else is complaining and rightfully so, and actually learned that to lean forward and bend your neck to your chest to swallow. well, good, it sure did help. sometimes you have to go further out of the box to see how some others are handling their situations. my biggest problem now and before the surgery was the coughing, bad enough before surgery, but, afterwards, scary because of tearing sutures and have always heard it was hard on the heart to be coughing so much. i am very tired and have been pushing myself to do this and that which they said i could do everything i done before the surgery, eat whatever i wanted, work around the house. of course, the lifting thing is a no-no after any surgery. i should feel better in a few days, no, its not the way its been going. so i will see the operating crew on the 16 th of feb. so i wish each and everyone of you a better day tomorrow. prayers for all of you as i think all of you are so much braver than i. god bless

I had surgery on January 13, 2023. I am 4 weeks out today. It has been a very difficult recovery so far. I had a parotidectomy, left and right neck dissection and a retropharyngeal dissection. I am dealing with being unable to swallow anything other than soft foods and feeling of having a golf ball stuck in my throat. I have quite a bit of nerve damage on the left … droopy left eye, lower left lip and arm and shoulder issues as well as lymphedema. I am doing physical therapy for that starting next week. I am scheduled for a swallow test Wednesday and will likely do swallow therapy. I’m hoping it will help. Eating has become a chore and there is no pleasure in it. And I have noticed that food doesn’t taste the same either.
If I could offer any advice, it would be to learn all you can from others who have been in the situation. And make sure you are informed of all the things that can happen later on as well as making sure you have a good surgeon…and always ask questions! You have to be your own advocate.

The surgeon had to cut the muscle that helps you swallow in order to get to the mass and pathology showed extensive cancer into the soft tissues.
I would love to hear from anyone here who has experienced the same issues. They have recommended 6 weeks of radiation treatments, 5 days a week. The side effects are daunting. Especially since I will have radiation to the entire neck, lower jaw area and base of my throat where there is already a build up of scar tissue. He mentioned I may end up on a feeding tube… I have a few weeks to decide if I am going to do the treatment.
Any words of wisdom from others who have been here?
Thanks in advance!

I’m sorry to hear you are in such bad pain. I had a lot of pain in my upper back after my surgery, which they told me was due to the positioning. I was given Tylenol in the hospital but it did not help…. I couldn’t lay down or lean back because it hurt so much! After being up most of the night after the surgery, they finally gave me something else for the pain so I could get a little sleep….. the pain in my neck didn’t bother me, but the upper back/ shoulder pain was terrible!
(I do not like to take medicine because I often get a lot of negative side effects. ) When I was discharged I was told to take Tylenol for pain… it didn’t work in the hospital and it didn’t work at home! My family suggested taking something for muscle pain and suggested Advil. I finally got relief when I tried Advil and sat with a heating pad on my back…. I was not taking any other medicines so interactions were not a concern. I don’t know if the Advil made me tired but I was finally able to sleep.
If your whole body is sore it might be due to the positioning during surgery causing muscular pain; maybe you can ask your doctor if you can change the Tylenol for something like Advil to relieve the muscle pain? It really helped take away the pain so I could get some rest. …it also has fewer side effects than a prescription! Good luck!