Well i am having my biopsy on the new lesion on thurs and I am Paranoid...not so much of the cancer ( of course I am nervous) But more to the fact I will be awake during the BIopsy and I know that it probably sounds CRAZY.

But for my 1st Biopsy I was out because they were going to "remove" the lesion. ( we all know how that turned out) And of course My ENT has assured me He will not "hurt" me and Keep me safe ( LOL I am a baby arent I ?) He is not doing a job at convincing me ..

This is the 3rd time my tongue is to be cut and I dont think his has been cut once ! SO I am sooooooo apprehensive about this.

And how deep does the biopsy go....and what if the cancer is deeper then the small lesion ? oh to many questions still. Would I be a HUGE baby to request sedation ?

Sharlee,
looking at your sigature line you have gone through much worse!

They will numb your tongue with lidocaine. Depending on how much they take and where it is not big a deal. Anytime you cut the tonge there is quite a bit of blood involved. Be prepared for that or close your eyes. The good thing is that the tongue also heals exceptionally well. For a small punch biopsy in as little as a few days you may be hard pressed to notice where it was.
Make sure that you have strong painkillers READY that you can take after the biospy. Start taking them when the biopsy is done (talk with your ENT).

If all of this does not help and you are still very very uneasy (anybody in his/her right mind would be uneasy), then it might be better to get something to calm you down. Call your ENT and ask.


Best

Markus

Hang in there Sharlee, hope all goes well for you.

Sharlee, What Markus said is right--they will nummb you, possibly just with lidocaine, possibly with novocaine, and it won't hurt--but it will bleed. You'll be given some kind of painkiller to take afterwards that should kill the pain. If (worst case if) it is cancer, and goes deeper than expected, he won't take all of it and would have to go back to do more surgery--when you're knocked out--later.

But that sounds unlikely to me. Do you know any self relaxation techniques? A very simple one that I have found very helpful when I get tense during medical procedures is, as you are breathing, to think of yourself breathing out your fear and tension with each outbreath and breathing in calm and fresh healing air on the in-breath. This also helps you remember to breathe during the procedure instead of holding your breath, which I have a tendency to do unconsciously!

You could also request to take an ativan or something that would calm you down but if you can learn to calm yourself through a procedure like this it will give you more confidence in dealing with whatever comes up in the future!

Nelie

I'm with Markus on this, Sharlee. If the "normal" efforts to stay calm (deep breaths, exercise, funny movies, etc) just aren't cutting it, by all means let your ENT know you need some extra help. After all, if he has never had his tongue cut, how can he know what you are really going thru? When my son's biopsy was done, they only numbed his tongue and he was fine afterwards. They even came out and showed us the part they took out afterwards. So, make your wants/needs/concerns known - you are too sweet to have any added stress in your life.

OK.. It wasnt that bad .. The ativan helped though I am sure ANd now I feel as though I am in another world. I am going to bed. Very very sore now though. and swollen. soo I wont have results for a week..He says he doesnt call even if they are bad..He waits and tell you face to face.....SO that part I dunno if I will like !

Sharlee - Of course we all have different reactions, but personally, I feel the face-to-face results is a lot better. My son's ENT is a really nice compassionate man and when he had the results, he called me to ask how my son was feeling emotionally before calling my son. My son had decided to go out to lunch with some of his colleagues at work and I didn't know when he would be back. When I got to my son's house, he was sitting on the couch, his head down and in very low spirits. He had just gotten the call that the biopsy was cancer. I really wished I had been with him when the doctor called, or better yet, in the doctor's office together. So when you see the doctor, make sure and have someone with you. If the news is all good, then you will have someone to celebrate with. If it is not so good you will have someone to help you process the news and ask questions of the doctor so you can start planning and fighting.