Your symptoms are like Kevin's. He waited 2 months because he thought it was nothing, then when the first lymph node got large and hard as a rock he still swore it was nothing. He waited another 6 weeks or so before he told me about it.Then I KNEW. He had so many of the other symptoms of OC. Clearing his throat, ringing in his ear, slight hearing loss, feeling like he had something in his throat...by the time I insisted he see an ENT and we started tx it was stage IV. I was ticked. EVERYONE kept saying he didn't smoke, he didn't drink, they didn't see anything in 2 scopings so they just didn't think it was cancer. I said let's just do a biopsy and see if it's ok. The ENT called me 2 days later and said it was SCC. He was SHOCKED!! They did a PET and surgical biopsy and off we went.
All this to say...don't wait. Get a second opinion. When they sent Kevin's biopsy away and had it tested for HPV..it took weeks. I think we found out about 5 weeks later. I've not heard of the saliva thing. I'll check that out because of curiousity, but, say to you...."get a biopsy"!! Just my thoughts!
Keep in touch,
Kathy

Kathy wife/caregiver to:
Kevin age:53
Dx 7/15/11
HPV16+ SCC Stage IV BOT/R
Non smoker, casual drinker
7/27/11 Cistplatin, taxotere,5FU 2/3week sessions, followed by IMRT 125cgy x 60 (2x daily) w/Erbitux weekly. Last rad 10/26/11. Last Erbitux 10/27/11
PEG placed 9/1/11 Removed 11/8/11
Clear PET 10/12 and 10/13 and ct in 6/14