How is your nerve pain today? Any change? Have you found anything that provides you with enough relief to manage day to day? Has the pain subsided enough to return to work?

I know, I am only 7 weeks post op from a superficial CO2 Laser Glossectomy but my nerve pain hasn't improved. It sometimes seems positional and as long as I don't move my tongue or speak for several hours, take narcotics and muscle relaxtants it eases for a short duration. Well, thats hardly practical or reaslistic now is it!?! I have developed severe adhesions that I believe are contributing to the ongoing nerve pain (although the pain was there immediately post op).

I need to return to work this January and am desperate to find something to ease my pain so I can do just that--return to work. I am a clinical Instructor (nurse) so I talk ALL day.

Any suggestions or recommendations? Narcotics cause nausea and a drop in my blood pressure so I have to be careful with them, I havent tried MM, but its readily available here in Canada. I have asked my doctor and his teaching staff on several occasions what to do and I get vague responses. Just a wait and see attitude which is wearing thin on me.

I have butted heads on more than one occasion with the Education Nurse that works at the Head and Neck Dept at my cancer centre as her advice on everything from standard norms for what I should watch for post operatively (visually) to increases in diet and speech issues have all been met with generalizations..."everybody heals differently, I cant say how long it will take, its too soon to tell...."

Anyways....any suggestions would be appreciated. Anyone ever try Tegretol for post op neuralgic pain? (I asked the nurse this and she said to talk to somebody about pain medication, gee and here, I thought I was!! :P)

I see my ENT again Dec 2 and would like to discuss options. I will require additional surgery after Christmas to fix my adhesions. Which may or may not 'fix' my nerve pain as well, who knows, but will help tremendously with speech and chewing. (as well as make me kissable again)

I am almost 6 years out and still suffer from neuropathy pain.
The only 2 things that help me are Cymbalta (once a day) and then Norco about once or twice a day to help with the breakthrough pain. It is not perfect but it is the only combo that has helped be comfortable.

A friend of mind is a neurologist - I know that she treats folks with neuropathy and other nerve-related disorders. Have you chatted with a pain specialist yet, Tracy?

Sorry I havent responded sooner. I just saw these post, no I haven't seen a pain specialist as my doctor thinks the pain I am having is expected and I seem to have convinced him that it is positional. So he believes after time, it may resolve after I have revisional surgery (March 2012)to improve my ROM of my tongue as I developed significant adhesions despite how minor and superficial my surgery was.

The pain has lessened somewhat since my last post, (happy to say). I have developed several mucoceles that have caused my tongue to puff up, interestingly my pain dropped since they have shown up!! Go figure! Always the odd ball!! :P

If the pain worsens or remains after my revisional surgery I will seek a referral to a pain specialist.

Thanks everyone.

As for meds...I already take T3's (Codeine) but don't take a SNRI. I will wait and see what happens with the surgery.

Hi, Tracy
glad to hear from you - it sounds like the physical and mental stuff is getting more tolerable! Fingers crossed for excellent results with the surgury!
Maria