New to CSN...hello! Tongue biopsy question

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KRBigFish
KRBigFish Member Posts: 25
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I had a tongue biopsy today and it hurt like heck, so I started searching the 'net for info on how long the pain will last. I came across this site, and was reading all the posts and felt since I haven't been diagnosed yet then I wasn't really a qualified member. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I AM a cancer survivor, duh! I had SCC on the lip and had that removed by Mohs surgery last month. It was declared clear after stage one of the surgery. Then last week at a routine dental cleaning, my dentist found a white patch under my tongue. He said given my recent cancer bout I should have it checked out by an oral surgeon. So I did on Friday, and although he was not alarmed by the look of it, he did think a biopsy was a good idea. This is my FIFTH biopsy since January. I had three others besides my lip biopsy on my back and leg for possible melanoma. Luckily those other three came back negative.

Anyways, back to my original question. How long before I can eat or drink normally? The biopsy was under my tongue on the left side. I got one stitch. Swallowing even hurts! I tried to eat some egg drop soup, but couldn't get even the soft egg down without discomfort so ended up pureeing it in the blender.

Thanks for listening. :)

Kathryn

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  • ooo
    ooo Member Posts: 105
    #2
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    Hi Kathryn,
    I had a biopsy
    Hi Kathryn,

    I had a biopsy under my tongue two months ago. I got 5-6 stitches. I've been on a liquid/soft diet for a few days, but probably less than a week. The discomfort should fade away within a week, so don't worry.

    Hopefully by then you'll hear good news from the biopsy and you'll be done. Good luck!
  • Roselvr
    Roselvr Member Posts: 30
    #3
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    Kathryn; now would be a good
    Kathryn; now would be a good time to start looking for doctors at a large university center to possibly get another opinion & to have a base visit just in case. You can either look for an ENT (Ear; nose; throat) or dermatologist.

    Good luck
  • KRBigFish
    KRBigFish Member Posts: 25
    #4
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    ooo said:

    Hi Kathryn,
    I had a biopsy
    Hi Kathryn,

    I had a biopsy under my tongue two months ago. I got 5-6 stitches. I've been on a liquid/soft diet for a few days, but probably less than a week. The discomfort should fade away within a week, so don't worry.

    Hopefully by then you'll hear good news from the biopsy and you'll be done. Good luck!

    Thank you
    Thank you for your encouraging words. After a sleepless night, I broke down and took the codeine they gave me with an anti-nausea med, and now I am able to swallow without so much pain. I thought OTC would be enough, as that's all I took after my Mohs surgery, but the tongue is certainly a different animal than the lip.
  • KRBigFish
    KRBigFish Member Posts: 25
    #5
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    Roselvr said:

    Kathryn; now would be a good
    Kathryn; now would be a good time to start looking for doctors at a large university center to possibly get another opinion & to have a base visit just in case. You can either look for an ENT (Ear; nose; throat) or dermatologist.

    Good luck

    Base visit?
    Roselvr, I am confused about another opinion...? We don't have the biopsy results yet, or do you mean if they come back negative? It was my dermatologist that discovered the SCC on my lip who said I needed to see an oral surgeon for the biopsy on my tongue. He was the first one I called when the dentist said I needed to have it checked out, and his office said the internal mouth should be biopsied by an oral surgeon instead of their office. Thank you.
  • Sue22
    Sue22 Member Posts: 99
    #6
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    KRBigFish said:

    Base visit?
    Roselvr, I am confused about another opinion...? We don't have the biopsy results yet, or do you mean if they come back negative? It was my dermatologist that discovered the SCC on my lip who said I needed to see an oral surgeon for the biopsy on my tongue. He was the first one I called when the dentist said I needed to have it checked out, and his office said the internal mouth should be biopsied by an oral surgeon instead of their office. Thank you.

    New
    Hello KRBigFish :-)

    Good luck with the biopsy results. I will be thinking of you. Sue
  • KRBigFish
    KRBigFish Member Posts: 25
    #7
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    Sue22 said:

    New
    Hello KRBigFish :-)

    Good luck with the biopsy results. I will be thinking of you. Sue

    Thank you!
    Thank you Sue!
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #8
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    Biopsy Results...
    Kathryn....survivor.

    You are more than welcome to the site, regardless of your status.

    To me, at least at this point, I wouldn't feel a need to do anything until the results of the biopsy come back.

    More than likely, it's not cancerous.... If by chance it does come back cancer related, see what the MD's have to say and go from there before you start worrying about second opinions, etc.... At this point you haven't even had a first "confirmed" opinion....

    Anyways, just my thoughts...don't worry needlessly until there is actually something that warrants your worry.

    Best,
    John
  • KRBigFish
    KRBigFish Member Posts: 25
    #9
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    Skiffin16 said:

    Biopsy Results...
    Kathryn....survivor.

    You are more than welcome to the site, regardless of your status.

    To me, at least at this point, I wouldn't feel a need to do anything until the results of the biopsy come back.

    More than likely, it's not cancerous.... If by chance it does come back cancer related, see what the MD's have to say and go from there before you start worrying about second opinions, etc.... At this point you haven't even had a first "confirmed" opinion....

    Anyways, just my thoughts...don't worry needlessly until there is actually something that warrants your worry.

    Best,
    John

    Agree
    I agree John, no need to worry uselessly. Thank you for your thoughts.
    Kathryn

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