Lee, Im going to talk to you like you were one of my own kids and Im sure you wont like what I have to say. This is life or death!!!! Stop playing around and tell your parents right away!!!!! I know you think that its something you can take care of but its not. Yes it can be oral cancer at your age. Throw away the cigs, forget the pot and booze. While you are at it get some decent friends who are smarter than the partiers you hang out with now. Your parents are not the enemy, they love you more than anybody else in the whole world. So now that you are probably mad and dont want to hear what I say, keep reading, I will tell you what has to be done.

Ive had oral cancer 3 times so I know what Im talking about. It could be anything in your mouth. You will need to go to the dentist. You may need referrals to go see other doctors. Your parents need to know if their child has cancer so you need to tell them so they can help you. It is not anything you can do yourself. Now is not the time to worry about the punishment, people die for this. Your parents can navigate the insurance processes, everybody has differnt insurances and has different rules about referrals.

If you have something in your mouth that has been there for 2 weeks then it needs to be checked. An oral surgeon or ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor can check it out and if necessary take a tiny sample called a biopsy. That gets sent to a lab to process where they will tell if its cancer or not. About a week later you will get the results. You will want to go to an oral surgeon or ENT who is familiar with treating alot of oral cancer patients. This is very important!

If you choose to ignore what you have been told then it is you who will pay the price. Ive taken my time to write this to you hoping that you are smart enough to take care of yourself and do the right thing. So have many other members written to you. As a teenager you will make alot of mistakes, thats called growing up. Most teenagers feel invinicible but sadly they are just like everyone else and can get sick and die of the same diseases. I hope you are ok and that this was your wake up call. Life has 2 paths and it sounds like you have been led down the wrong one. Its not too late to get back on the right path. Noy everybody gets a wake up call and a chance to change their future. I hope you take this as a learning experience. Hope to hear from you again. We are here to help you and your parents so please keep asking questions.