I had my surgery just about 2 months and 1 week ago. It has been going good, no pain anymore. Just a question for those of you with similiar surgeries. Last week my tongue was feeling really good, sort of able to move it around more. Now it again feels all "needles and pins." This has happened before. It feels a bit more tightly tethered also. Then it will go away again. I am not all worried about it, just wondering if anyone else had this happen. Thanks. Denise

Hi, Denise. Yes, I have also noticed variations in how my tongue and other operated-on structures feel each day. Have you been advised to exercise your tongue?

A year after my last surgery I find that the tissues in my mouth expand and contract all the time. Sometimes my partial metal denture is tight, sometimes it is loose. Sometimes my numb lip is without sensation and sometimes it tingles and itches.

Could you ask your doctor or SLT about tongue flexibility exercises?

I had under the roof of the tongue 9 hour surgery. Part of my tongue is still numb and the rest of it burns and itches. The Drs. say it's normal. I try not to look in my mouth because I can conjure up all kinds of horrid scenarios. Much like my past breast cancer. I visualize a door and lock it. I open it when I have to see the Doctor. Otherwise cancer wins and takes over my life and I still want to live it!.

My surgery was pretty minor, but it did result in some nerve damage to that side of my tongue. Tomorrow marks one year and I still have the numbness. My ENT did tell me that the fact that I have some feeling there means it might come back, but nerves take up to two years to repair themselves.

Anyway, I notice a huge difference day to day. Sometimes it is way less noticeable than others. It seems like it is most noticeable when I have not gotten enough sleep.

When your ENT said it might come back did he mean the cancer or did he mean the nerve damage would get better? Yikes. I thought feeling in the area was a good thing.

The Feeling!!!!! Sorry to not be clear on that!

Ok, thanks for clarifying. Madelaine...yes, I try not to spend my day worrying about what may or may not happen! I put away my pen light as I was looking in my mouth more times than I care to admit some days. I don't even know what I am looking at anyway. I go every month for checkups so I am trying to just let that be it for now. Unless I feel something growing or whatever. I am trying to enjoy myself and not worry!!

Well, compared to those of you who had tongue surgery my own was nothing to get excited about. However even just the neck dissection was enough to numbify the left half of my tongue. Guess they nicked a nerve.

At the time my neurologist told me that if feeling were to return it would do so within the first month, and after that not to expect any. He was right. I'm 6 years out and have long since accepted the permanent numbness.

Hope your situation improves. The tingling seems to me a good sign of that!