Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] hi, I was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of tongue . I underwent hemiglossectomy with neck dissection in Jan 2012. Then i underwent radiation therapy and cetuximab chemo . It has been 3 months since conclusion of radiation therapy. now i experience severe pain over the area of the tongue where i had the surgery that radiates to my ear. I also have tenderness over the same side of the neck. The pain is not constant, it is aggravated by chewing. I have started going to work now but i never have any pain while at work. I usually get the pain while at home in the afternoons and also early in the morning. what coukd be the probable causes of this pain.
[|AI|]  There could be a number of reasons for your pain and a thorough clinical examination is necessary to rule them out one by one. It could be simply related to your surgery and radiation therapy as it can sometimes lead to inflammation of the nerves in this area leading to a neuritic pain that commonly radiates to the ear. It could be a local infection in the operated site compounded by the radiation. Worst possible, it could be a recurrence of your cancer. I would have liked to know the stage of your cancer as that would have helped me assess the risk of recurrence. I suggest you start on Tab Ciprofloxacin 500 mg twice daily + Tab Paracetamol 650 mg thrice daily + Tab Sanitizing 150 mg twice daily + Tab Gabapentin 1 tab twice daily. That should take care of the pain and infection. Meanwhile, get an appointment with your treating oncologist and let him have a look.