Very painful base of toungue

Hello all,

I wonder if anyone can help or offer advice. My mother is now 5 months post radiotherapy for tonsil cancer hpv16. Her 12 week pet showed a lot of activity in the treatment area and she had a biopsy 3 weeks ago to rule out residual disease. Luckily no cancer was found and just inflammation albeit high levels.

My mum was in a lot of pain prior to her biopsy in  her throat and under her tongue (her cancer wasn't in the tongue originally but in the tongue muscle). Now three weeks after biopsy, she has been prescribed steroids that seem to be helping inflammation in the throat but her tongue is still in excruciating pain. She cannot eat and has a very bad burning and aching pain in her tongue. She cannot move her tongue easily and terrible pain is triggered when she attempts to eat anything (even non acidic stuff).

Mum is on a lot of pain relief but when this pain is triggered nothing helps her. She cannot eat anything and this problem seems to have become progressively worse as time has gone on and really stunted her recovery. 

Has anyone else experienced this? Could it be nerve damage? The doctors don't seem to offer any real insight and seem to just advise pain relief but I'm wondering whether I should advocate for my mum to be put on progablin or something similar.

Any advice or sharing of similar experiences would be really helpful and much appreciated.

Thank you,

Moz