Hi all, new here....I'm worried. I am 28, and I do drink, drank heavily in college, but do not smoke.

2 weeks ago I came down with a cold. In three days it had cleared up, but after it went away I was left with a click or a pop around my adam's apple. It does not do it all the time and seems to only happen when I dry swallow. I took no medications for the cold.

In the 2 weeks since I was sick I now also have what I believe to be an enlarged lymph node on my right side under my jaw where the jaw meets the neck. It feels slightly larger than the left side and gives me a dull, or muscle strain type of feeling now.

Also, I can have an extremely mild sore throat that comes and goes. I think I bring it on myself by dry swallowing so much to get the click to happen. Over the weekend my neck was very stiff, but that has since gone away. The newest thing that worries me is in the back right side of my tongue I feel some weird sensation. Fullness, or tingling maybe? Its the right side of the back of the tongue, plus a little in the floor of my mouth right there too. I have had this feeling on the left side of my tongue too, but not as much.

Ears feel fine, throat feels mostly fine, I can breathe and drink and eat normally.

I have looked in a mirror sticking out my tongue as far as I can and everything looks like a normal tongue to me. My fear, is if its something deeper I cannot see on my own. The only lump I can feel is the swollen lymph node, which is located right by where all these problems. None of the sensations that make me worry are constant. They can come and go and feeling moves around my throat and tongue.

I had nothing of concern until I was sick 2 weeks ago. Should I be concerned? I have an appt with an ENT a week from today....but the meantime is killing me.

Thanks all!

Hi Pepe - It could just be an infection HOWEVER you are doing the right thing seeing an ENT next week! Where did you go to college? Our son went to U of F. We are in Sarasota and husband goes to Shands for check-ups while DavidCPA went to Moffitt. Hope you won't have to go to either place, but please let us know. We are here for you, even though we all are counting on antibiotics clearing it up for you. Where are you in Florida?

Hey Pepe,
I am sure that the swollen lymph node is just inflammation from you recent cold. My wife works for an ENT on the east coast of florida near the Palm Beach Area if we can be of any help to you.

I live in Clearwater. Went to school up north though.

I've really, really strained trying to look at my tongue. So much so that I see that flap thing in the middle of the throat. I can't see anything weird or odd, but how much am I still not seeing? Starting last night and today the main thing has been right side tongue sensation. It is the part of the tongue directly above the lymph node in question though.

Logically I am hoping that me being sick led to the lymph node being inflammed, led to my current issues.

Does what I described sound like cancer symptoms?

Edit* - Talked to fiancee who's had a sore throat recently. She said she had discomfort on the side of her tongue too. I also read 85% of "C" cases are smokers. Thats not me, so chances better? I know I shouldn't play the odds game.

So my throat is still not sore. First day in quite a few that it hasn't been sore.

The sensation in my tongue that really started last night has been coming and going throughout the day, it isnt constant but has been fluctuating minute to minute.

The lymph node in question too feels better and then feel worse. The actual lump feeling in my throat hasnt been bothering me nearly as much as it has in the past few days. Freaking out bad though...I wish I didn't have to wait a week.

Again though, symptoms, should they happen, I dont see how logically they would all hit at the exact same time, or a mere 2 week span and come and go as they do throughout the day.

I just bet it's fun trying to see down your throat. LOL I hope you do these things when you are alone, because someone wouldn't under stand why we all do such funny procedures to ourselves. You need to have the ENT give you the rundown after he checks you out. Good luck Pepe

Pepe,

I am responding to your PM here. The chances are in your favor greatly for this NOT to be Oral cancer and from the way you describe it, you probably have the flu and with your age I would try to get to see a primary care doc to see if you may have the Swine flu. Still keep the ENT appt and stop trying to look so far down your throat because you wouldn't know what to look for anyway. lol

If you want to talk my day number is 322-5669.

Thanks David!

Funny you mention Swine Flu. I got my cold a few weeks ago from my buddy. I heard the Swine Flu is actually making its rounds through his organization, so it very well could have been the swine flu. ENT is first doctor I can visit, its on the day my insurance kicks in.

I did talk to a nurse friend of mine and she said if it were swine flu that its likely for my nodes to get inflammed as its something new my body has never processed before. And that the inflammed nodes could affect the whole area around it,which would be my tongue on the inside and my jaw on the outside. (She also said common flu could do this)

So I feel better there, but it doesn't explain the clicking swallow. I will have to wait for ENT for deffinitive I guess.

On a completely different note, do you know if they finished work on the east/west trail? We love biking that cause its so scenic but havent in forever because of it being closed under the bridge.

Pepe,

Which bridge and which east west trail? The trail now goes from downtown St Pete to Tarpon Springs and covers about 40 miles.

Oh no, not the Pinellas. We do the northern section of that (the middle section by us is super boring thorugh Pinellas Park/Largo)

The east/west trail is the one that goes from Safety Harbor to Belcher Rd I believe. We like it cause it has hills, and forest, and goes past the 2 disc golf courses.

Never done that one because I usually don't ride up north. I mainly travel the South beaches, Fort Desoto, Pass-a-Grille St Pete Beach or ride to Tampa but because they have closed the Friendship Bridge we have to stop there and turn around now.

Actually, the cold I had is almost 3 weeks ago now. The swollen node and tongue sensation are new to this past weekend, which was 2 weeks after the cold. The clicking throat started soon after the cold.

Still, just very scared.

Hang in there but remember it's not cancer until it's confirmed through a biopsy. NO ONE can look at it and tell you it's cancer.

Thanks, I'm actually going to my GP in an hour. I'm hoping I never get to the biopsy stage. More hoping he looks and can tell whats wrong by looking. Thats the stuff that doesn't scare me.

Good luck and lets us know.

Ok,no less scared now.

He looked in my throat and saw nothing. He felt my neck and glands and stuff and said he couldn't find anything wrong there either. (Maybe this is good as Cancer would have made a lump or doctor would have felt a lymph node being off?)

He said I need to see an ENT if its bothering me, so thats Wednesday.

Also, a lil more background about me I guess is in order...At the beginning of the summer I was sure I had Colon Cancer, I went through the whole ordeal and it came back nothing. Then I was sure I had skin cancer, and it came back nothing. This is the 3rd cancer scare I have had this summer.

However, there is deff a click when I swallow, only when my head is in certain positions and sometimes it feels above my adams apple, sometimes below, and sometimes right on it. I dunno, maybe I am making the rest up, last night my tongue was really bothering me, and right now it feels like there is something on the right side of my throat on the inside....but I did convince myself I had a tumor in my colon and I could feel it too, which was completely made up. I've also been googling up a storm about throat/oral cancer....so I hope its the mind over matter making it all worse.

That all being said, I can't get over the fear. The tongue sensations come and go. Like, I haven't had one today yet at all. I would think cancer symptoms don't come and go. Just scared that the doc couldn't just say it was something simple. 6 days until ENT....dunno if I can hold it together.

Pepe,

You need to take a deep breath and really calm down and just wait until you see the ENT. Your chances of having Oral Cancer are slim to begin with so get your mind off that matter until next week.

HI Pepe - Listen to David. Besides, in all my years in here, I don't ever remember anyone having a "clicking" feeling or sound with their cancer. Have a fun weekend and then get back to us after you see the ENT - we are here for you thru thick and thin, however this turns out. Watch those puddles when you're out on your bike! Warmly, JaneP

There is clicking associated sometimes with TMJ so you may want that checked out.

I think you need to give your imagination a few weeks off. It will do the rest of you good for it to just take a break.

Pepe and David,

Just want to comment that a clicking or popping sound coming from around your Adam's apple would not be related to a TMJ problem. Not that I know what would be causing that, but constantly checking it by making it happen, will certainly prevent it from going away. This is a common problem with people that have actually have TMJ problems as they move their jaws in unusual ways to make the sounds happen and all they are doing is making it worse.

Pepe,

Certainly no one could diagnose your problem(s) without examing you so it is a good thing that you are going to see the ENT this week.

It appears to me that with your history of the past few months you have developed a cancer phobic situation. I hope that what you are experiencing now turns out to be nothing and I'm pretty confident that it will be nothing. You are going to need to find a way to get out of the mental state that you find yourself in now. That may be more difficult than it seems. You may need to seek professional help. I tell you this because you have a long life ahead of you and this no way to spend your waking hours.

Please let us know what the ENT says this week.

Jerry

Thank you all for your responses! My problems do feel better in the morning and get worse through the day. Also, I can eat and drink just fine. It actually makes the feeling go away for a little bit.

Oh crap though!!!! I just looked at some stuff on the web.

The right side, in the back of my tongue feels weird. I believe its called the lateral tongue, way in the back on the right side. Well the right side doesn't look like the left side. Its the right side thats been causing me problems. It looks red, and a little more bumpy. I just saw that this is a high risk area for oral cancer. It has a picture too...link: http://www.drstoute.com/procedures/path1.htm

That first image, its kind of what my tongue looks like! And my tongue there has been having the discomfort, fullness, numbness, burning, whatever feeling for a few days.....shit. Mine doesn't look as severe...but still. It looks redder than the same place on the left lateral side.

Please, oh please, oh please tell me that this area can get aggitated by like swallowing too much, or something...anything.....

How could all these symptoms develop in just a few weeks????

Pepe,

You are kinda going off the deep end here so again calm down and report back to us after the ENT tells you what he thinks the problem is.

As Dr Jerry advised, stop trying to make your mouth click. It's like the guy that complains that his head hurts everytime he slams it into a wall and wants to know how to stop the pain...

Went to the ENT. Did not seem concerned about much of anything. I had a staph infection, a swollen node, and the lump feeling they attributed to some latin term that means basically my neck muscles are really tight, probably due to stress, that creates this feeling.

The ENT put the tube in my nose and looked in and said everything looked normal. They also looked in the front and pressed down on my tongue (I guess to look at the base?) They have me on antibiotics and anti inflammatories now. I go back in 2 weeks and will have an XRay done first so they can look and also discuss anything new.

I do think my lymph node is a little less swollen today. But the popping when I swallow is deffinetly there. Also, I still am getting the sensations in my tongue, mainly back right side, and also a more shooting pain on left center.

So its not throat cancer for sure. My question now, does the ENT also check out the base of your tongue when they look in? I'm only scared (much less too) of "C" being on the base of my tongue causing these sensations in my tongue or a lump pushing around cartilage in my neck making the popping sound. He did not schedule a barium swallow or a node biopsy as he said everything looked normal.

I am teaching myself its probably all just stress/anxiety doing this to me, but they do want to see the XRay to be sure. Sorry I went crazy before; does it sound like the ENT is doing whats necessary?

If he put the tube down through your nose it was able to see the BOT and tonsils pushing down on your tongue was probably to get a different look at your tonsils.

So I've been through all my anti inflammatories now and almost done with the antibiotics. Node still feels a little larger than its mate on the left, and my throat still is clicking. My neck doesn't feel as bad though.

Also, I just saw this today. I stuck out my tongue and on the right tonsil, on the bottom of it in its front is a white or grey something. Doesn't look raised. Just a different color. The left tonsil does not have this from what I see. Its an area thats hard to see as its right behind that curtain like tissue between the tonsils and the teeth. Its way at the bottom, and even looks like there may be more to it but the tongue is in the way from completely seeing. Again, fears growing.

I also know though that the antiinflammatories I was given basically shut down the immune system so its possible that an infection or bacteria or something could thrive while thats down. I've read about tonsil stones and tonsillitis, but since its on that right side I've been complaining about it makes me nervous.

I assume though, now I've had 2 ENTs and one GP look in my mouth that they would look for something like this. So either they saw it and dismissed it, or its brand new (and thus benign). Am I wrong here about this white spot? Its not too large, flat, and a kinda irregular shape....almost like a white coating on the tonsil. Should I be concerned?

Have it checked out if it doesn't resolve itself it a week or two.

actually, going back to ENT tomorrow for follow up to last visit. hopefully will get answer then. Just scared now.

Being scared is totally normal, just don't let it control you.

Hi PepeL...try to calm down. You should feel some comfort that 3 doctors have looked at you and said everything looks good. Take a moment, step back and relax.

Why is it that you thought you had colon and skin cancer this summer? Sounds like you need to try and enjoy your summer instead of worrying.

Pepe , I think I should take you under one of my wings and insert some positives in your system. Maybe you need a hobby or something to keep your mind occupied and in a none worry mode. I bet normally you just might ba a happy person that enjoys life. Give us a smile big guy and think on the bright side of life. Heck, we all have problems, but we are the controllers not the problems. Have a great day PEPE and smile. If you don't already do it, take up golf to get frustrated LOL

Thanks all...I'll be going to the ENT in a few, will post what he says.

I'm very busy (and not good at golf) so my mind has enough to think about.

The new white spot I found scares me. Its on the anterior pillar...which of course I read is where it most likely starts or spreads to from the tongue base. I have the throat clicking high, which I read can be caused by a tumor growth pushing down on the hyoid bone. And my lymph node is still harder than its match on the left.

I gotta learn to trust doctors, not google....but answers soon I hope.

Yes...I agree. The internet is a goos source of information but does not relate to each of our cases. It's get to scary if you read too much.

Word from the ENT is there is nothing wrong most likely. They did not scan my throat area at all. CT Scan was of nose only. The ENTs (the official doctor and his assistant both looked in). They said the white spot was a tonsil stone and to gargle hydrogene peroxide and listerine.

They said I could also have my tonsil removed to fix the problem for sure.

ENT also said that the click is most likely from my hyoid bone and adams apple clicking because of the hyoid being out of place or cartilage growth or something and if it ever became anything besides annoying he could cut the bone. (Does not sound fun).

So they both looked, saw nothing, and said I am fine basically. My lymph node on that right side still feels harder than its match, I still have the click, I still have the white spot on my tonsil, my tongue still gets weird feelings.

I read how tonsil stones can cause regional pain, so maybe thats all it is.

Does what the doc says sound reasonable, or should I maybe be seeking a second opinion?

LOL Pepe, first let me congatulat you for the Drs finding nothing. Maybe it's time to back up a few steps and just take the next couple of weeks and enjoy things . Then if it is still bothering you,, go for the 2nd opinion. Try your best to not think about this and it just might psychology make you feel better. Your friend Jim and I'm sure a lot more in here like you than me. I would bet on 100%.

Jim's right, Pepe. Take a few weeks and just try to forget your symptoms for awhile. I know it's hard because you're worried about yourself, but just take some time and try to stay off the internet. Then, in a few weeks if you're still having the symptoms or worries then go for a second opinion. Doctors are only human and they do miss things but you can also do harm to yourself from the stress of worrying. Take care and give it a couple of weeks to see how the symptoms actually are by then. Also, antibiotics and other meds sometimes keep working after you've finished them so you need to let them do their work. Good luck to you that things will get better!

Nancy T