Hi Young!

Welcome to OCF, glad you found us sorry you had too!

Everything you've described in your experiences are symptoms of Oral Cancer, specifically HPV related tonsil or Base of Tongue cancer which can be very difficult to diagnose, even by licensed medical professionals trained to detect this disease. I'm very good friends with an oral pathologist at the University of Washington in Seattle who's research showed that even trained Oral Pathologist can miss Oral Cancer without tests and adjunctive screening tools.

To ease your mind and mine, please find another Ear Nose and Throat specialist closest to you, or message me with your specific location and I'll find one closest to you to get you in for a FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration)biopsy of the walnut lymph node. Insist on this procedure and let them understand that failure to comply to your wishes is cause for negligence on their part if you do in fact have Oral Cancer. I've read where failure to diagnose Oral Cancer is the Second leading cause of Dental Malpractice, 60% of those cases are awarded to the patients if the diagnoses is greater than 3 months after a dental appointment. Those stats will scare the shit out of them to do whatever necessary to ease your mind and take your concerns as seriously as potential cancer is.

If you would like I have no issues speaking with any medical professional that disregards a patients concern and fails to potentially detect cancer early based on their patients symptoms. This is one of the reasons that Oral Cancer has a 61.7% survival rate by the way.

All that being said, don't "FREAK OUT" as we have a saying on these boards that "It's NOT cancer until a biopsy says it is." so do your due diligence and get it checked out as soon as possible. If you need help, I'll even help make those calls my dear.

Keep your chin up champ and let's get answers for you.

Eric