Hi everybody, my name is Don, from Sacramento, California. I'm 48 and i had been smoking cigars for the past 7 years and having about 6-8 Alcoholic drinks a week. I quit 2 weeks ago (01-09-08. I was smoking 1 cigar a day for 5 years. I had smoked 1/2 cigar a day the last 12 months. I have been.I've had occassional bouts with mouth irritation during the years, but after a week my mouth would always feel better.I felt my mouth became irritated at times more often in 2007. I would see a doctor and they would not see any thing. Starting in December '07, I got a small irritation that sometimes felt like a small cut on the tip of my tongue.I did not want to deal with it because it was Christmas. What a JACK ASS!!! I've been. I went to the doctors on 1-13-08, she said it was an ulceration. She made an appointment to see an ENT. The earliest appointment they could give me was 02-12-08. I found out my dentist had a new procedure for oral cancer screening. You swish your mouth with a solution, then they examine the mouth with a special light. I had it done 01-22-08. He said he did not see any cancer,but said that ulceration was probably leukoplakia. I called the ENT office again to see if i could possibly get a sooner appointment. Turns out my HMO has another office 12 miles farther away that had a ENT that could see me today 01-23-08. I could'nt believe it. I went in and had a biopsy on the tip of my tongue that day. I am awaiting the results. I am very scared. 5 years ago, I felt a pea sized lump on one of my testicles. Turned out it was benign. That's the worst thing i had been through until now.
Everyone on this website is amazing. the stories i read, the surgeries,treatment people have had, everybody is so incredible. You are all my heroes. God bless you all.