Getting a biopsy of my tongue, and some much needed ‘laughing gas’.
Once the laughing gas was off and the biopsy was done, it hurt as bad as it looks.
Laughter is the the best medicine. (Laughing gas doesn’t hurt either.)
Since Roger had been so adamant about me seeing the oral surgeon after the gray lines were discovered under my tongue, I decided to play along with the narrative. I scheduled an appointment with the man whose name appeared on the business card I’d been given twice before. I was looking forward to the introduction and frankly, getting the whole tongue issue handled and over with. Admittedly, I felt a little nervous in the tiny exam room. I’d never seen an oral surgeon and was curious about how the appointment would be different than going to the dentist. Finally, a gentle tap from the other side of the door preceded his entry into the room. “Hi. I’m Dr. Mark Anderson.” His deep, kind voice and tall stature matched Roger’s and I immediately felt at ease. We spent the next few minutes collaborating about my tongue and Dr. Anderson let me know he’d also spoken to Dr. Tillery about my case. All the attention to detail further increased my confidence in Dr. Anderson who then said, “Let’s take a look!”
Now this is a look! (I didn’t say it was a good one.) This is the laughing gas “mask”. It fit comfortably over my nose as Dr. Anderson controlled the flow of air in order to keep me comfortable for the biopsy.
While Dr. Anderson was examining my tongue, I tried to read his facial expressions to help clue me in to the severity of what was happening. He remained calm and purposeful, and didn’t seen alarmed by the gray lines. He told us, in medical terms, what they were called and how they might have developed. None of it sounded very scary or unmanageable. Dr. Anderson explained that the next step in my care would be taking a small biopsy of my tongue so he could be one hundred percent certain about how to proceed with my treatment.
“I wore a silly t-shirt to help maintain a good frame of mind and to keep the mood light.”
It all made sense. The lines on the outside of my tongue were an indication that there was something going on inside of it. I wasn’t necessarily excited about having a biopsy, but was relieved to learn that Dr. Anderson would be able to offer me ‘laughing gas’ during the procedure to help me relax. I can’t remember if a driver was required for this appointment, but I definitely wanted one. I scheduled the procedure for a couple days later so Roger could be with me.
Our sweet Ryan Luke. He and I keep one another laughing all the time. I wore this silly T-shirt to help maintain my sense of humor.
Just as I’d anticipated, the biopsy appointment was pretty straight forward and the laughing gas was just enough - much more mild than being completely sedated. I remained awake and never became combative. Dr. Anderson had also taken special care to ensure that I wouldn’t feel any pain by thoroughly numbing my tongue and mouth. Roger and Ryan both came to the appointment with me and I wore a silly tee shirt to help keep the mood light. I just knew the biopsy would uncover exactly what prescription Dr. Anderson would need to give me so that my tongue would finally be getting better. I believed God had answered my pleading prayer for healing.