I am a 61 yr old male living in Toronto, Canada.

I received a preliminary diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma near the back of my tongue just last week. I had a CT scan this afternoon (no results yet), biopsy next Thursday and mri in 10 days. Everything is happening very quickly and is, obviously, a bit scary - first experience with cancer of any kind.

Current symptoms of sore throat, tight swollen jaw, ear pain, swollen tingly tongue have been getting progressively worse over the past three weeks. Eating is hard (to chew or swallow) and weight is dropping.

I have been taking Advil and Tylenol and ent surgeon prescribed hydromorphone for increasing pain levels. Not much relief so far, pain gets a little worse each day. I came across this forum while searching for information and it seems like a great resource. I feel like my condition is milder than many described in here but chronic pain in your mouth area can be very difficult to live with. I am hoping for a “good” diagnosis after all the testing is complete but the waiting and the physical discomfort is taking its toll.

Does anyone have any suggestions on managing pain in the early stages?

Thank you.