Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Family Medicine (Expert Forum)
Tonsillectomy - Tongue Soreness
Answered by
Kevin Pho, MD - Internal Medicine
KevinMD.com
Questions in the Family Medicine forum are answered by Dr. J.M. Keyes. Topics covered include general health issues, adolescence, babies, child health, eating disorders, fitness, immunizations and vaccines, infectious diseases, medical tests and procedures, and senior health.
Tonsillectomy - Tongue Soreness
by tw27, Nov 05, 2004 12:00AM
Little bit of background info: 27 yr. old female, drink once a week, ex-smoker. I have been dealing with hypocondriac/anxiety/panic/OCD attacks for about a year now. Huge fear of cancer (grandmother died of OVarian cancer). I actually haven't had any attacks since August. Anyway, I had a tonsillectomy 7 days ago due to chronic tonsillitis. From my understanding, the ENT doctor used a tongue gag or something of that sort to hold my tongue down. When I woke up from surgery, my tongue was so sore and swollen. It looked like I had cuts on each side of my tongue and the cuts looked real white. The next day, underneath my tongue it looked like I had 2 ulcers but they went away in about 2 or 3 days. Now one side of tongue feels fine but the other side still feels a little sore. It has this weird sensation, almost like it feels numb but yet I can still feel my tongue. It just feels weird on one side in one little section. Its not as bad as it was 3 or 4 days ago. Should I be concerned or is this somewhat common with this type of surgery? If it is common, how long can it take for my tongue to feel completely normal? Also I just got through taking Oral Augmentin. Ever since my surgery my tongue has been coated with yellow/whitish stuff and its real thick. I have tried to brush it off with a tongue scraper. Did know if that was also common with this procedure and I still have scabs in the back of my throat or if it could be oral thrush? I do have a little bit of burning toward the front/center tip of my tongue. I just didn't know if I should be concerned about the tongue sensation? Don't want to fall back into the routine of panicing and rushing to the thought of cancer. Please advise and thank you for your time.
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Pho, MD, Nov 05, 2004 12:00AM
, Nov 05, 2004 12:00AM
Tough to say without seeing it. An oral fungal infection is possible, and can happen after the surgery or after antibiotics. Taking a sample of the lesion and culturing it can further evaluate it. If positive, then oral antifungal medications can be helpful.
If negative, you can get a referral to an oral surgeon, who can evaluate the mouth lesions and possibly biopsy them to exclude the possibility of cancer.
Followup with your personal physician is essential.
This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.
Kevin, M.D.
Medical Weblog:
kevinmd_b
If negative, you can get a referral to an oral surgeon, who can evaluate the mouth lesions and possibly biopsy them to exclude the possibility of cancer.
Followup with your personal physician is essential.
This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.
Kevin, M.D.
Medical Weblog:
kevinmd_b
Member Comments (2)
by lmroswell, Nov 05, 2004 12:00AM
To: tw27
My daughter had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy a little over a year ago. After the surgery, her surgeon explained that she would have white scabs at the back of the throat where the surgery took place. Soon the scabs would disappear. They did. This may be what you are experiencing. Your tongue soreness is probably from the trauma of the surgery. In any event, your surgeon would more than welcome your question about the soreness and white spots. Hope you are feeling better. For my daughter, who was age 5 at the time, it took 10 days. Good luck!
by ozark, Nov 05, 2004 12:00AM
if you were also taking liquid augmentin thats whitish yellow which will discolor your tongue...the tongue may be due to trauma and that will take about 1-2 wks
