The biopsy is tomorrow. What should i expect pain wise afterwards? He said hes going to numb my tongue and cut the suspect area out. Curious as to some of your experiences?

Is this a biopsy or a surgery? A biopsy is taking a teeny tiny sample. The tissue my doc has taken for a biopsy is very small, about the size of 1/2 a grain of rice.

The bigger the area the doc removes, the more pain you will have. Im sure they will give you pain meds. Make sure you fill that prescription on the way home while you are still numb. It will be sore for a couple days with each day becoming easier to tolerate.

Results will take about a week to come back. Try to stay busy to keep your mind off worrying.

Best wishes!!!!

Double whatever the doc tells you to be safe.

Hi DB7. I too am a newbie to this world, also glad that I found these kind folks. I had a fine needle aspiration that honestly, didn't hurt too much- she numbed the area beforehand. (ok, I turned green and almost passed out, but that's because I'm a wuss about stuff like needles. Have a feeling I'm going to have to get over that Real soon!) Last Thurs had a laryngoscopy. They did some looking around, and took some biopsies too. That was under general anesthesia, so painless until after, and even that was just a moderately sore throat. I wasn't given any pain meds, and only took some OTC Tylenol that night and the next day. I hope this helps. I get fitted with my mask tomorrow, so believe me, I fully understand your fear about all that you're going through as I am just now going through it myself. As have said, the wealth of knowledge on this forum has been invaluable in preparing me. I just have to ask..... Aston Martin fan???

DB7 - I too had BOT primary last year and had a biopsy done. It will be pretty painful after the numbing wears off but should only last a few days. You will need soft foods for a few days afterwards and be careful when chewing to avoid biting the area. It shouldn't be to bad after 2-3 days but everyone does recover differently so just be prepared. Good luck and try to stay positive while waiting for the results.

Thanks guys! No sorry, not a Martin fan...lol. ive been doing good at staying positive. Continuing to play sports and running/cycling. Ill just deal with the results when they come. Im pretty sure theyll come back cancerous as two different oral surgeons have both said thats what it looks like. Im just anxious to get started so i can tackle this thing, and very fortunate to have found all you guys! Were any of you displaying any type of symptoms prior to your diagnoses? Well anyway, ill type more later and check out some pf these other boards. Take care!

A typical BOT SCC presentation first shows itself as a painless lump on one side of the neck and no other symptoms.

Strange as it may seem, I noticed my cancer because I tasted pepper in the back of my throat every time I ate potato chips. Knowing there are no taste buds back there I took a look. That was three 1/2 years ago.

Best wishes for your biopsy results.
I love that you are keeping busy and have a great attitude.
Just wanted to add that I had no symptoms either but did have metalic taste for a while before my biopsy.

Well, back from my biopsy. Holy heck it hurts. Just like you guys said, as soon as the numbness wore off, it was on! Where I messed up was I took some Tylenol instead of what he prescribed, and it did absolutely nothing! I'm guessing this was a little more than a biopsy, because he took a good sized sliver off the left side of my tongue. Wow, hurry up a couple of days! They numbed me up, and cut a decent sized chunk out. I'll keep you posted as to what the results are in a week or so. Still staying positive and even playing volleyball tonight...lol. (dumb, i know)