Kathy,

Sorry for the delayed response. The biopsy was not too bad at all. I had it on Thursday, March 1. When I was in recovery afterward the doctor told my wife that he had been aggressive in going after several spots to make sure he got every relevant area. My tumor was in the back of tongue and tonsil and that is the area he biopsied. By the time I went home I had moderate pain but really not too bad. They gave me some Lortab and I used that for a day or two and then switched to Ibuprofen as needed. The Lortab gives me some stomach and constipation issues and I just didn't want to start that again after finally being off of all pain meds the month before.

The doctor recommended that I stay home from work on Friday but I had already made an appointment to see a client on Friday morning under circumstances that would have been difficult to reschedule. (I am a lawyer, so there is no "heavy lifting" in my job.) So I was really hoping I could function and talk on Friday. As it turned out, I was able to do it without much trouble, and I went home immediately and rested the remainder of the day. The mouth pain was actually a little worse over the weekend, but my biggest problem was the headache and aftereffect from the anesthesia. It always seems to bother me and the headache with fatigue lasted almost a week. But I think that is just me - some people don't have that at all.

It did affect my eating. The swallowing pain came back and certain foods that had not been a problem became a problem again. I was very sensitive to hot (temperature) foods. Cold too. I even drink tap water at room temperature. When I saw the doctor on the 13th I asked if it was unusual for my mouth to still be sore. He said the post-radiaton tissue in the throat heals slower and that it would take 3 to 4 weeks to get better. This past Thursday was three weeks and he was right. It was noticeably different this weekend and I finally feel I am back on track. I find that it helps to take some Ibuprofen before a meal of real food. You never know what ingredient or spice is going to cause some pain, and that blunts it or prevents it.

I hope that helps. If you have a specific question just let me know.

Dan