No problem about photos. They take up too much space on the server. Plus this is a group of OC patients/survivors and caregivers not medical professionals we wouldnt know by looking what it was anyway.

Glad I was able to help convince you to avoid all tobacco even "the safer" alternative to smoking, vaping. It hasnt been around long enough to know exactly what long term use will have on users. I remember when they first came out . There were alot of claims made about being completely safe since they contain no nicotine or harmful chemicals. Those claims even though plastered right on the package were proven to be incorrect. That shows they are only in it for the $$$, not to actually do anything helpful for their customers.

Glad to hear you got an appointment on the 18th. Thats actually not too bad, only about 2 weeks. Please do yourself another huge favor and try your very best to stay busy and avoid the "what if" thinking. It only makes you feel worse and more upset. Being on vacation, you should be enjoying time with your wife. Dont let what might be steal away the precious time you have to be happy. If you cant push yourself to have fun, think of your wife and do it for her. With your appointment being not until the 18th, you probably will be waiting for at least 3-4 weeks until you know for sure what the spot is. Unfortunately waiting is something all of us detest but we have had to learn how to deal with passing the time. I always suggest doing things to stay busy that are positive, read a good book on something your interested in, start a new hobby, anything thats positive to keep your attention will work and help you pass the time easier.

Im not sure why the oral surgeon would bother to do a test for HPV. It serves no purpose at all knowing if you have HPV or not. From my understanding, the only accurate HPV test was for women when they had pap smears. The male HPV test was not very stable and didnt always give correct results so its unusual for any doctor to be testing for HPV. Just because someone has HPV (there are around 200 different strains of it) does not mean they have one of the cancer causing strains. Plus even if the patient would have one of the strains that could develop into cancer, odds are it will not ever progress into cancer. HPV is the biggest STD out there where the majority of patients with it dont even know as it causes them no ill effects or problems. Patients can have it for years and never know it. Most will clear it from their bodies with no issues with it at all. If your interested in reading more about HPV, just click on any of the HPV letters that are blue to go to the main OCF site for more detailed HPV info.

Best wishes with your upcoming appointment.