I have had a ulcer on my tongue for 7 months and it just will not heal. I have been to 4 different doctors and none of them have been able to help me with it.
My ENT did surgery to remove the ulcer in February and sent it off to be biopsied. It came back negative, thank the Lord. but now it has been 2 & 1/2 more months and it still will not heal and is in terrible pain. He is now sending me to a OMG to have it biopsied again.
Has anyone had an ulcer biopsied that come out negative, and later had another biopsy that comes back Positive?
What would cause this sore not to heal?
I have never been a smoker, or a drinker, but my Mom and 2 sisters all died of cancer, so naturally I am concerned.
Judy

We see things like this more than we would like to. You must stay vigilant and keep on pressing for a resolution, cancer or not. Only a confirmed biopsy can diagnose cancer but just for your information oral cancer is not only caused by smoking and alcohol. HPV has assumed a prominent role in the past decade and there are even more than a few patients coming to this site that are neither smokers nor HPV+ with oral cancer mainly in the forward part of the oral cavity including the tongue. Again keep on pressing until you get an answer.

Thank you for the reply. I also do not have HPV. So I have none of the known causes of oral cancer.

Judy, I have OC and it is the Unique Variety. " Unknown". Maybe this is your problem too. We are fiven some strange thins in life to deal with but just have to roll up our sleeves and make the best of it. Yes I have been thru the mill the last 3 years or so and have so far stayed in the fight and on top. I wish I had some words of advice for you but just can't think of anything. Just keep a good attitude and smile. After all it could be worse. Good luck and I hope things are just as the biopsy shows, negative.

I do also hope that things are just as the biopsy shows. I just want the pain to go away. 7 months of day and night pain bad enough to make me cry is just a bit much. I do keep a good positive attitude. And thank the Lord I never experience depression due to this problem.
I too have been through the mill with another disease that took years to diagnose. I hope this will just go away and not need a diagnosis at all.
Thanks for your help.
Judy

I have been fighting this pain for over 3 years now, but am holding my own against it as you are. Don't be like I was and take pain meds as I should have much sooner. LOL I was the tough guy. Now the listener to the Drs.

Judy,

I may have missed something, but what is an OMG?

I had no risk factors and had cancer on my tongue. Rule of thumb is that anything that is not gone within 2 weeks should be biopsid. The fact that you have this area that has not healed for 7 months is not a good thing, but doesn't mean that it is cancer.

Yes, you can have a negative biopsy and then a positive one later, so it's a good thing that you are having another biopsy.

Good luck with the biopsy and please let us know the results.

Hi Judy,
I apologize if you have already answered this and I missed it--but, is there any reason (when they biopsy it) they are not doing an excision biopsy and removing the ulceration?

The reason I ask is because I also had a very painful ulceration on my tongue--when I went to the Oral surgeon, he did not think it was cancer--however, he believed that it was a problem because it was so painful and wasn't healing. He removed it for the biopsy (with the understanding that he might have to go in again depending on what the pathology results showed). To his surprise, the biopsy was positive and I subsequently needed a partial glossectomy-but, I was pretty much pain free (for the first time in MONTHS) the week between when I healed from the biopsy and had the partial glossectomy.

So, I guess my point is that whether or not it's cancer--an ulceration that you have had for 7 months and causes that much pain is a problem, no matter the pathology results. Can you ask the dr to remove the whole thing when he/she does the biopsy?

Good luck and please keep us posted.

Be well,
Michele

Michele, I am sorry that I didn't make myself clear, non the less I surely do not mind answering your question.
The doctor did remove the ulcer at the same time that they did the biopsy. But He removed the whole thing surgically. The wound never healed up, it was done on February 12. about 2 & 1/2 months ago. In fact a small part of the wound where the ulcer was has broke open again,and again, so now they are going to send me to an oral surgeon to have another biopsy since it never healed. The ulcer has not come back, but just never healed. The doctor took of about 1/4th of my tongue. It is extremely painful, and the pain medicine does not touch it, although I continue to take it in hopes that this time it might actually slow the pain down some.
That is why I was wondering if a second biopsy may show something. I don't really understand the reason for another biopsy. I would like them to just sew the thing up so it will heal.
Thank you for your concern.

Thanks for the advise. I am taking the pain medicine. but it is not working. I even double up on it, but it is such a low does that it does not work.
I would gladly take something stronger but this doctor does not prescribe strong pain medicine.I guess he is afraid I would become addicted, or immune to it.
How are you doing now. do you have cancer?