Need some advice. This all started at the end of March I found an irritated area on the back left side of my tongue. Couldnt see any lesion but felt like a small swollen bump. I went to the local oral surgeon who said it was probably nothing and couldnt even see where I was feeling the lump but would take it out anyways for peice of mind. When I went in for the surgery I had my wisdom teeth out the same day. Before he knocked me out he burned the area to mark where he would cut. Once he started to cut he found red inflamed tissue and scraped it all out all the way to the very back. I'd say about 3/4 of an inch. 3 stitches. He told me he thought it was an infection. Biopsy results came back fine no cancer. For 7 weeks the biopsy area did not heal all the way and the scarring was stiff and would sting, burn, and ache when talking and eating. Concerned I went to an ENT. He could see where the tongue was irritated evident by a bump that felt like scar tissue and reddened tissue next to it. He took another biopsy this Time a punch biopsy and had a ct scan was done. Punch biopsy showed fibrous scar tissue and the Ct of neck and mouth was completely normal. He says hes 99% sure this is not cancer but does not know why it still is bothering me. 4 weeks after my second biopsy the area still hurts 2/10 on pain scale. Looks healed but can definitely see where all the tissue has been taken. Should I ignore the pain and just live with it? The area is still irritated. Is it normal after a biopsy for scar tissue to easily become sore and sting and burn? I have another appt with the doc 3 months post biopsy to make sure everything looks good. I can live with the pain but not knowing why ie much harder to deal with. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!!!

We have a saying around here "any spot/sore/bump/lump etc that someone has in their mouth that does not heal on its own after 2 or 3 weeks should get checked by a professional". By professional I mean an ENT who specializes in treating oral cancer patients as they should be the most experienced in unusual things patient can have happen in their mouths. You do NOT want to go to an ENT who mainly puts tubes in kids ears and/or doesnt normally treat many oral cancer (OC) patients.

Scar tissue always will form on the surgical site after a surgery. As far as being in pain, unfortunately that goes along with recovering from any recent surgeries for most of us. Inflammation can press on nerves and cause patients to be in pain. Once the swelling subsides, the pain should stop. Pain a month after a biopsy is longer than many here have had their pain. A biopsy's pain s doesnt normally last very long but from a surgery patients can go thru months of pain. Theres so many variables when talking about this as everyone's different and has their own unique reactions to pain thresholds, medication, procedures, etc. Ive always thought scar tissue was part of the healing process. If you feel this is out of the ordinary for you, call your doc and go get checked out. Getting better except your pain, could be from how invasive the biopsy was and if it affected any nerves. I am someone who prefers to err on the side of caution especially when patients are conflicted in deciding whats their next step and what is normal/abnormal. Its better to get checked out and finding nothing wrong than to sit around constantly worrying causing more unneeded stress. After your doc examines you and you talk to them at your appointment, if you are still unsure about something ask more questions. Remember your medical team is there for you! Doctors are not able to know for certain if a spot, sore, lump, etc is cancerous or not just by looking. No doctor can!!! A small sample (biopsy) is required to be tested to make that determination. But, the biopsy must be of the correct location!

Im sorry but its not easy for any of us to reply to your specific questions. We're a group of oral cancer (OC) patients/survivors and caregivers who have learned about OC by experiencing things first hand. Please understand, our members deal with oral cancer and everything to do with OC. Not to downplay your situation, but we often forget about the more minor things we go thru like biopsies when theres so many more complex issues and problems we are forced to face. We do NOT have years of medical school, clinical patient experience, your complete medical history, the patient in front of us to answer questions and examine. But, even talking face to face with the patient would not be helpful for any of us to reach even a guess about the patients case. Our input and suggestions are not a replacement for info obtained from someone who is a medical professional. Its NOT possible to make even a guess as to what you have going on, what your next step should be, whats normal for you, or to know what pain is ok and what isnt. Besides, no patient who suspects they have cancer should search the internet and Dr Google for something their own physician should provide.

I hope you do NOT have cancer and as you continue to heal the pain subsides. Best wishes with everything!!