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I know there is no single answer to the question, but here are the details:

my lip was cut on the center inside 3 weeks ago when I fell and banged it pretty hard on th gym floor. It took a week for the skin to heal, and I stayed off the horn for two weeks. But now I have a lump of scar tissue that has both raised my intonation and affects my tone, and after 30 mins. of playing the lip swells enough that I need to use a larger mouthpiece (BB2 -> SM2) to play euphonium. The effects are less when playing tuba, although the lip swells.

Any thoughts about the best therapy and how long it will take to get back to normal?

Dave

I did the same thing a long time ago and had a lump the size of a marble. I was in the Air Force band, the Airmen of Note, at the time.

I make mouthpieces, so I had access to the materials and tools for this...

I put a large indentation in the surface of the rim, about the size and shape of the lump, so it went around the lump instead of pressing on it. That allowed me to play entirely normally and with no discomfort at all. As the lump went down, a few weeks later I made another one with a smaller indentation. Eventually I was able to play on a normal rim again.

Now, 15 years later, I still have a tiny spot of scar tissue there but it doesn't bother me.

I have done this same modification for a few other players, with good results.

I put a large indentation in the surface of the rim, about the size and shape of the lump, so it went around the lump instead of pressing on it. That allowed me to play entirely normally and with no discomfort at all. As the lump went down, a few weeks later I made another one with a smaller indentation. Eventually I was able to play on a normal rim again.

Now, 15 years later, I still have a tiny spot of scar tissue there but it doesn't bother me.

Doug, thanks for the reply. The lump is on the inside of the lip, in the center where it was cut by the teeth, and right in the part of the lip that does the vibrating. So it is already a ways away from the rim. The rest of what you say is pretty much what I am thinking: it will take a few months at least to get back to normal and have the swelling go away, maybe even a year+ before tone and intonation are back to what they were before.

Right now, even though the lip swells, I am thinking it is probably not bad for it to practice and do lip flexibility drills. It takes a while for capillaries to grow back and maybe the use will help that process. But I'm not a doctor.

Dave