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You have had all the lymph nodes in a large part of your neck removed.

Fluid forms in tissue throughout the body every day. This tissue fluid is the lymph. The lymph is carried around the body by lymph vessels. The lymph vessels run around the entire body and are connected to blood vessels. At some points, there are lymph nodes along the lymph vessels. Pathogens are rendered harmless in the lymph nodes, for example. Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures. They are part of the body’s defense system.

You have had your lymph nodes surgically removed. To do this, your skin was cut open. An operation like this usually involves also removing certain muscles, nerves and blood vessels. The aim of this is to ensure that all the lymph nodes have been completely removed.