Hi All,

I need your help in figuring out what is going on with my mom.

My mom has been fighting with an extremely sore, swollen tongue for months. It�s been over a year at this point. The tongue is persistently swollen and has a red dot the size of a nickel on it. Her tongue is just too painful for her to take anything in by mouth. It�s so swollen that she has trouble speaking.

She had a second surgery (a mandibulectomy) related to her oral cancer this past June. The Surgeon says she appears to be healing at the surgery site well. We have been to her oncologist and surgeon over and over again. Her oncologist says it does not look like thrush. He�s baffled at what is going on. It�s obvious to me the surgeon does not know what is going on either. He likes to focus on how well the surgery site is healing.

I don�t know what else to do. My mom is in perpetual pain and discomfort.

Has anybody experienced a persistent swollen tongue?

Babsdaughter

My tongue was swollen and extremely painful but that was right before the confirmation of the diagnosis. Perhaps ask the doctor to biopsy the site just to be on the safe side. Scans don't always tell the whole story. Sure hope you find an answer soon - I remember that pain!!!

Good luck.

Has she been seen by an ENT since that spot occurred?

Wow I would be confused too...I just wrote somewhere else that the doctors seem to have a good handle on issues concerning OC...guess maybe not wrong but like in everything some are good and some don't really know...

Please just keep insisting and pushing the old saying the squeeky wheel gets oiled..if it takes a biopsy, cause one thing I have learned from this site is that is the absolute final answer if it is cancer, then push the issue till you get an answer...

Hoping you find your answers and you mom gets some relief

Dianne

We have not been to an ENT doctor. That is something to look into. At the suggestion of her doctor's nurse, I just made an appointment to see her dentist.

My tongue was swollen so I had to ask. It turns out it's not swollen but that the tongue muscle is just surrounded by not much.It feels swollen still , but knowing the Dr checked it makes me feel a lot better about it. Looks like a speed bump.

Babsdaughter, Also, there are pain management Doctors that can help her with the pain control. I'm sure if she could get the pain under control it would definately be a lot of help to her until you can get her to an ENT or her Dentist. I sure hope she gets to feeling pain free while dealing with this problem. Good luck, Angel

Get her to an ENT -- We found out my very swollen tongue had a tumor growing inside it, even after all that radiation...