Hi my name is liz,and today i am posting on the forum from a whole new perspective.

I have been in agony for three days with tooth ache,and this morning i had to ring round every dentist in the area to try and get seen as an emergency.I am not registered with a dentist so it is really hard to get any one to see you urgently,but i did manage to get an appointment for 11am with a new practice in leeds.
I was seen by a lovely doctor called Thomas who explained i would have to register with the practise and have a full mouth examination with x-rays as well as what ever treatment i needed for my tooth ache.Part of this examination included a full oral cancer screen which he did even though i told him i had had one done only two weeks ago.When he was finished and had done the x-rays,he extracted my bad tooth and i went home minus a tooth and all the pain!!

At 1.45 pm my mobile phone rang and it was the Dentist's nurse asking how i was,(surprise no. 1)

She then went on to say the dentist wanted me to go back straight away as he needed to discuss something he spotted on the x-ray,and when i explained that would be difficult she insisted it was very important for me to go back at 3.30 as the dentist needed to speak to me face to face,to discuss a few matters.

Mum and i duly rocked up at the dentist obviously wondering what the hell was going on.

Shock number 2 coming.The x-rays were fine,but he made me sit in his chair while he closely examined tthe left side of my mouth.When he did the oral cancer screen the dentist had noticed i had an area of hyperkeratosis on my gum where i had a double extraction 5 years ago.I knew about this because the dentist who did the oral screen two weeks ago commented on it and said it looked a bit sore.What he also saw was a white area on the gum which he had beeen chewing over during his lunch hour and had decided he wanted another look at.Once he had finished prodding and poking he very quietly explained to me that he had said nothing when he origonally examined me because firstly he was aware of how much pain i was in with the bad tooth,and secondly when i had told him about Robin,he was reluctant to alarm me.He had wrestled with the dilema and felt he had to look again and then tell me of his concerns.

Bottom line he has referred me to the maxillo-facial unit in leeds for an urgent biopsy which he says will be done before i go on holiday.

He was so apologetic but said he couldnt in all conscience not do this as i was in a high risk category(smoker and drinker)and although he was fairly confident it would be ok,that if it was cancer i should only need surgery to my gum and jaw as the changes were likely to be very early stages.!!!

Jerry and Mike feel free to jump in here and reassure me .

I just couldn't stop myself saying to him that i had heard that before when Robins Surgeon looked us in the eye and said he ha a 90% chance of a 10 year survival.
I then told him there was no way on this earth that i could walk this path again.

Then it went quiet and he looked so distressed i felt sorry for the poor man. I thought long and hard about what i would say to anyone who came on to the forum with the same dillema.It was a no brainer practice what you preach lady.

So i am waiting for a telephone call to go for a biopsy.
My mum is in pieces and my kids are hysterical,but i feel calm and collected.This is not cancer i know it isnt .It cant be. Life just couldn't be that cruel,it couldn't could it???