My dad was dagnosed with surface cancer of the tongue, on Tuesday he was operated on to remove the cancer, they cut away the bit of the tongue which was affected. The warned him before the op that they may have to remove his saliva glands, fortunately they did not have to but since getting home he is in a great deal of pain. His tongue is not very sore, believe it or not, but his throat is agony. We are not sure if this is completely normal or not. He was told by his surgeon that he would be very sore for a couple of days but this is now his 5th day. He is finding it almost impossible to eat anything without pain and is becoming very disheartened.....if anyone has any advice I can pass on to him it would be greatly appreciated....many thanks

Hello Pauline, regret I have to welcome you to the club that no one wants to join. You must ring either your dads consultant or doctor. If he is in pain, it is possible to manage it. Also, tell them about the eating/swallowing difficulties. He needs to build up his strength now if he is going to have any other treatment. I think the doctors are very helpful once a patient has been diagnosed with 'C'

Try to keep his spirits up and to focus on getting better.

Good luck to your dad and keep us posted.

Hi Angie
Many thanks, Mum and I had a word with him last night and persuaded him to go to the doctor today, he has now been prescribed stronger painkillers and some antibiotics which we hope will make things easier for him. I really appreciate your reply and good wishes. It is hard for family to know how to help sometimes, they sort of rely on me to sort out everyday problems for them and I do this gladly, unfortunately this is a problem I can't fix. We all just have to keep him as positive as possible. Thanks again....take care
Pauline

Pauline, Many in this group(it seems) have encountered a bit of what your father has experienced. I remember my throat being sore because of the device they had stuck down there during surgery (don't know what it was called). But that will subside and dad will be feeling like himself in due time I'm sure. After my first surgery (before Radiation) I was eating things that I couldn't because of spices and back to my old self. Now the radiation is another story....

Wishing your dad the best.

Bob