Tongue biopsy scheduled... very nervous

I can only tell you that the biopsy was not difficult for my husband to tolerate.  Hopefully, you will get good news after your biopsy.  

cateViolet

I just went thru all of this, starting at the end of Feb.2017. They finally did a biopsy on May 1st! I too, was also scared about this but the Dr. was so very nice. They numb you 1st(thank you God) & once your numb do the biopsy. It did not hurt. The hardest part next was waiting for the results. Unfortunately mine was Cancer. But it was also bigger then yours, plus I am a 2 time B.C. Survivor.May I make a suggestion to you. Even thou your nervous about this, try to get in as early as you can. I was a Stage 1 but by the time they sent me to a surgeon, then scheduled my surgery it grew, which ment more things had to be done to remove the tumor.It was then Stage 2. The good news is, I am good, they see no Cancer anywhere else because I addressed this as soon as I could & I'm on the mend once again. Please feel free to ask me any other ?'s you may have. I'll be praying for you & wish you the best.

I'm only about a month ahead of you treatment wise. Noticed an enlarged node and my 2nd ENT (fired the 1st one) saw a small spot on the base of my tongue.

I had a neck node biopsy to confirm the cancer and then later had a biopsy of my tongue (by my surgeon) to make certain that was the only and primary tumor.

The tongue biopsy was really a piece of cake. Outpatient surgery. They put me under and I work up with a slightly sore throat and tongue, went home and even went out to dinner that night at an Italian restaurant. Didn't take any pain meds (I prefer not to take meds) and swallowing was painful, but not more than a sore throat and a pain similar to an aching canker sore.

I had already begun my extra attention to oral hygenie by this point. So, I was brushing 3-5x a day, using a Waterpik and gargling with salt/baking soda and a alcohol free medicated mouth wash. This made my mouth feel fresher and reduced the risk of infection. I had also already started uping my protein intake to help my body under stress.

The one piece of advice I would share is this --- Get the tongue biopsy as early on as possible. Mine was done almost 4 weeks after my first appointment with the cancer center. They wanted me to start treatment the next week. I knew that my tongue would not have healed by then and once radiation and chemo start, there was a decent chance the tongue would have a very hard time healing. Because of this I insisted they delay treatment until 2 weeks after the biposy. Yesterday was 2-weeks. So, I start treatment on Tuesday.

Good luck, but don't sweat the tongue biposy.

CateViolet said:

Thanks for the advice!

You all are so supportive, I appreciate every word of advice and encouragement. Still trying not to panic but I felt the lymph nodes in my neck and they are definitely swollen. I am not otherwise sick right now so now I'm worried about that too. I really don't have a good feeling about this. 

Getting ahead of yourself is the worst thing you can do.  Deal with things as they come. 

I’ll start by saying I Hope your biopsy is negative, and if so, in the grand scheme of things, the actual pain of the procedure and the healing that follows is insignificant. If it is positive, the important thing to keep in mind is that the disease is very survivable with many of us living life very full and normal lives. Whatever you do, don’t get too far ahead of yourself because if it is positive, there are hundreds of variations on the type and nature of disease and your treatment, and until you know, you can drive yourself crazy with speculation. Additionally, it seems like the only stories you hear about are the worst of the worst.

I’m sure you’re in for a better biopsy experience that me, and I think I’m the record holder for the world’s worst tongue biopsy. I was referred to an ENT by my regular doctor. I sat in her chair, and she said she wanted to do a biopsy. I said OK. I had no idea what a biopsy was or why it was being done. The next thing I knew, between the doctor and her assistant, they had me a wrestling style headlock. One of them grabbed my tongue with a piece of gauze and poked and prodded for a few seconds. As the procedure was going on, the doctor was dictating to an assistant something to the effect that she was looking to confirm her diagnosis of tongue cancer.

That was the absolute first time I heard the word cancer even mentioned. I was holding gauze on my tongue which was bleeding, and tried to ask the doctor, but nothing came out but incoherent mumbling. The doctor excused herself, and after a few minutes I regained my ability to talk. I asked to see the doctor and was told she left for the day.

Yes this is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The unbelievable part of the story was that the biopsy was not done in a third world country, but suburban New York City.

The actual pain and discomfort from the biopsy was transient and easily manageable. In my case is turns out it was cancer, I was treated (far from pleasant), and 5 years later, I’m living 100% of my pre-cancer life (maybe 95% if you count that I can’t enjoy alcohol or spicy foods and suffer from dry mouth).

 My best wishes to you for a good outcome. Let us know the results. Please don’t let your mind spin out of control with all the endless possibilities. If it turns out to be cancer, you’ll work out a plan with your doctors and do your research, with this board as a very good starting point. If it turns out not to be cancer, you’ll put the level of trauma in the same category as a bad dentist visit. 

Tback said:

Tongue

i have a place on the side of my tongue that looks like an inverted canker sore...meaning it is flat. It is sort of a neutral color. My dentist saw it last week and said if it had not significantly improved this week, he was sending me to have it biopsied. It has gotten smaller, as it looks like the edges are closing together (as a sore heals) , but not all the way. It is not sore. I am terrified. 

I have never smoked and the last adult beverage I had was on vacation 7 years ago...so I am basically a non drinker. 

 

Tback,

Welcome to the H&N forum, sorry that you are here, but maybe you will be lucky and not have any cancer.  Until you have had a positive biopsy, with a cancer onc (or ENT) declaring you have cancer, you are too early.  We try not to borrow trouble and there are many who stop by these pages with a problem which is benign.

Many of us discover a swollen lymph node in the neck with no pain whatsoever; others do have a more prominent presentation.

I hope you fall on the good side.

You may want to start a new thread if you want more response?

Matt