Hi, my brother had a 70% glossoctomy in September 2018. He is still being fed through a peg but takes some drinks orally. Over the past 10 days his face has swollen quite a lot again. We called his cancer team and they said not to worry but you can’t help but worry. Has anybody else experienced this? Many thanks

Jacs,

I’ve had different cancers, but once after my surgery to remove all my teeth (29) my face, mouth and neck was extremely swollen. I called the oral surgeon, and he told me to go to their emergency room, which I was going to do anyway if I didn’t hear back. I was there several days, and given meds to help the swelling . At home, I continued to sleep on an incline in the recliner for several months.

It sounds unusual, and the cause should be investigated, and properly treated, in my opinion. It could be nothing, but at least you looked into it, and can’t be faulted at that!

I hope this helps.

Oh thank you so much Paul. That is very kind of you to share your experiences. Much appreciated.

Whenever a patient has considerable swelling of the face/neck., etc its always a good idea to take them to the ER. Its always better to err on the side of caution especially when you dont know what the cause for their swelling is. Plus, at hospitals they are equipped and knowledgable of this sort of thing that they know what to do if it would suddenly get worse. Paul is right (as usual ) . It could be from an infection which could be a major problem to someone who is recovering from a major surgery.

Best wishes and please let us know how you make out!