ZVI - Modified neck dissection

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ZVI asked:

>I will probably have to undergo a modified or modified radical neck

>dissection due to lymph nodes found in ultasound in both sides of my neck.

>Could some of you who have had this surgery tell me a little about their

>experience?

Zvi,

I would endorse Alyssa's response completely.

I had a bilateral neck dissection done in July '99.

At the time I sent out two posts " from the front line " to the list. I

am attaching them.

My neck was swollen after the operation for quite some time. I had to

buy shirts with bigger collars. After about a year or so it shrunk

back down again to normal.

I had trouble with speaking and swallowing after the operation

because it affected the vocal chord nerves. So one of my vocal chords

does not work correctly. My speaking is back to normal but I still

have difficulties sometimes swallowing food.

Two years on the scars are not noticed much by other people but they

are are still noticeable to me.

Also I lost feeling in the skin on my neck above the scars. This came

back a bit but is still not fully returned.

My travels will be taking me to Israel in the last two weeks of

August. Let me know when your op is. I may visit you in hospital.

Alan

---

Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 13:51:29 +0100

To: thyca@...

Subject: From the front line

Mushroom soup, Salmon fish cakes and Creme Brulee was lunch today after my

bilateral neck dissection yesterday afternoon.

This was my first meal after beginning the pre-surgery fast yesterday

morning at 7 am. The operation was around 3pm yesterday - excuse me if I am

not precise as I was out cold. I have no idea what time it finished but I

was very vaguely aware of coming to around 9pm. I spent the night in the

high dependency unit (intensive care) and got back to my room around mid

morning. As I told the nurse when I was offered breakfast (which I could

not face) " my stomach feels as though my throat has been cut " .

I'll make this a short note as I stand here with a saline drip in my hand

and two drain tubes from my neck before the nurse comes in and takes my PC

away.

Best of luck to everybody else in the surgery of the month club and RAI of

the month club. For those doing surgery it can be pretty uncomfortable when

you first come around but it does get better fairly quickly over the next

day or three.

---

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 23:29:34 +0100

To: thyca@...

Subject: More from the front line

" A politician woke up after an operation and asked the nurse,

Why are the curtains closed? Is it night-time already?

No, the nurse replied. But there's a fire across the street, and

we didn't want you to wake up and think the operation was

unsuccessful. "

Many thanks to everybody who sent me good wishes and words of encouragement.

Just to remind you I had a bilateral neck dissection on Monday pm.

It is now Thursday evening and I am still in hospital but I have been

promised the " get out of jail " card tomorrow morning if there are no upsets.

Today was drain removal day. The right one was painful even with pain

killer tablets but the left one was a real doozy. I could not let the nurse

take it out even after I was given a dimorphine injection. So after lunch

we had another go and this time the nurse was prepared with gas (I don't

know what but apparently it is given during delivery).

However, before we did the gas I asked if I could have ago at taking out

myself. It seems that it is easier to stand the pain if you know you have

control over it and so I managed (under her watchful eye) to pull it out

myself.

Which proves two things:

a) Us men are weak when it comes to standing pain

I am a control freak.

I think that if it was not for the general anaesthetic I would have

preferred to do the operation on myself. Maybe there is a role for local.

There seem to be a number of us on the surgery of the month club with

various neck dissection. I believe this is unusual - most thyCa patients

don't need it - but more reflects the nature of the discussion as those of

us currently going through an active phase in our treatment.

In my case I have a thyCa that does not respond to RAI, had a rising Tg,

the CT scan showed nodules and a calcified lymph node - with metastatic

disease - had been removed during my TT in Oct/97.

In my surgery the surgeon removed a number of calcified nodules from both

sides, scrapped some off a nerve and removed a section of jugular vein that

had become involved. It sounds scary - especially the jugular vein bit -

but there are number of thyca survivors on this list who have had the same

done.

We will have to wait for the biopsy for more information.

So I have now been here for 4 days. It was tough at first but as W.C.

Fields said " After two days in hospital I took a turn for the nurse. " Now I

am pacing up and down waiting to get out.

My original scar, which is still pretty neat, has been extended up to about

an inch below each ear, somewhat more scar on the left side. So I have a

new lopsided grin.

Just in time I was told that body piercing had gone out of fashion so I

didn't ask for the fashion enhanced gold ring operation.

I will not be rushing back to work but will wait until I am sufficiently

recuperated. I don't plan to be the hero.

Your pathfinding experiences, good wishes and staying in touch has helped

to keep me (moderately) sane through what could easily be a terrifying

experience. Exchanging email with people who have gone through the same

experience a few days ago and a few decades ago is enormously strengthening.

Best of luck and good wishes to everybody else in the surgery of the month

club and the RAI of the month club.

====

Father believed that laughter was the best medicine. Maybe that's why some

of us died of tuberculosis.

-- Elmo

--

London, England

dx 9/97, tt 10/97; pap/fol with spine and rib mets; RAI(100 mCi

12/97, 244mCi 10/98); 150ug T4; -ve scan, +ve Tg; bilateral neck

dissection 7/99; EBR (60 Gray) to neck 10-11/99; 5AZA trial 9/2000;

Retinol trial 2/2001; Tg 238

ICQ# 67445221