Josh why do you call this a cancer scare? It isn't. You have a number of symptoms that you have taken to a GP. For a range of reasons he does not think its cancer, but has offered you a referral to an ENT. The ENT will probably say the same thing, but offer to do a biopsy, which is the definitive way to diagnose it. But really he's not diagnosing it, he's excluding it. Doctors don't pass off serious illnesses lightly. There are many many factors they have to take into consideration when doing a diagnosis. We're not physicians here, and I wouldn't even hazard a guess what your problem is. But I'd bet my bottom dollar it wasn't because you had oral sex with a girl 3 years ago.

No you're not wasting our time, but I want you to understand something about serious illnesses. If seriously ill people Googled their symptoms and spent the night pondering "what if its this" they would quickly have a mental breakdown. Google is very good for helping you understand what a doctor has told you. It is not good for diagnosing things on your own.

A really serious illness is a complex series of steps. Examinations, biopsies, MRIs, bone scans, PET/CT scans, and thats just the diagnosis. Then the treatment nightmare begins, and that can last for months or years. Then if they fix it you have a lifetime of followup tests and fear of recurrence.

So how do we deal with something so big? Break it down into steps. The next appointment, the next scan, etc. Always focus on the next step. Understand why you are there and what you expect to get out of it. For you the next step is the ENT. Hopefully, the steps end there, and you leave with a definitive diagnosis and peace of mind. If there are more steps, please try to let the medical investigation take its course. By all means research and understand the steps that are going on, but take great caution speculating beyond that.

Good luck on Friday, we hope its nothing serious but let us know how you go.