Operations and Scarring

Before I started radiotherapy I had a couple of operations. The first was to remove a tonsil (the one on the right hand side) which left me in pain for about two weeks after. The net op was to remove the swollen gland in my neck, and I'm still paying for that.

I assumed the gland removal would be 'trivial'. It wasn't until I got to sign my consent form that I realised how large an operation it was. The surgeon told me (on the morning of the op) that there would be two cuts, one from my jaw hinge to my Adam's Apple, the other from under the chin to the first cut. You could say I was surprised at this as I though it would only be a small cut around the gland. As it turned out I only had one cut, from beneath my ear for about 6 inches down towards my throat.

The next surprise was the possible side effects. It turns out that the lymph nodes can 'attach' themselves to the nerves in the neck and removing the nodes can result in nerve damage at worst, and nerve trauma at best. The damage could result in: limited tounge movement; losing the ability to raise the arm (you get shoulder nerve damage and sometimes they have to cut through the shoulder nerve); and, at the extreme, damage to the nerve that controls the diaphragm, making breathing difficult. These side effects go from most to least likely.

Luckily when I cam around from the op I didn't appear to have any of these problems. My tounge is fine, I never thought I'd lose the diaphragm nerve, and the first thing I did when I came around was to raise my arm above my head to prove to myself that I'd still be able to swing a golf club!

After the op, the surgeons told me it had 'been successful', I assume by this they meant there was no real nerve damage.

The worst side effect post operation was the numbness on the side of my head, this I hadn't been told about but according to the doctors who saw me the following day was 'normal' and should clear up in about 3 months. The numbness felt fairly severe, the worst part was trying to lie on that side of my head, it felt like I was lying on a wooden block.

I had the op about 3 months ago, and the numbness is still there (seeing the doc. tomorrow and it's something I intend asking about). I could stick pins in the side of my head, the back of my shoulder and the side of my shoulder and not be able to feel them. Turning my head can also be tough partly due to the soreness and partly due to the scar. Having said that things seem to be moving, my collar bone and shoulder are starting to feel really sore and tender, I'm hoping this is the feeling coming back into the nerves.

The scar has healed amazingly well and you probably wouldn't notice it at first, or even second, glance. The thing pulls like buggery though. In the morning especially, my scar feels very tight, this eases a little during the day but tends to worsen again by night. It feels like somebody's attached a bungy cord to my neck and pulled it tight. It's bloody uncomfortable and I wonder if it will be like this forever. I'm using 'Bio Oil' (good for stretch marks apparently) but if anybody has scar 'tips' I'd happily take them!