Hi Everyone,

I have been reading through this website for some time now and I am quite concerned about my symptoms. Here is my story...

I have had left sided throat pain for about 2 years now. About 3 months ago (Nov 09), I woke up with left sided ear pain and tongue pain. I booked an appointment to see my family doctor after it did not go away who referred me to an ENT. By the time I saw the ENT in Dec 09, I could now feel "something" on the back left side of my tongue. The ENT looked at my ears, nose and throat but did not look in my mouth. He told me it was all in my head and that there was nothing there and it would go away in a few days. 2 months later it has not gone away. I went to see my dentist in Jan 10, who thoroughly looked in my mouth. Again he saw nothing but believes something may be there. I do not feel any pain while I sleep but once I wake up I can feel something on the back left side of my tongue which eventually causes tongue pain and ear pain as the day progresses. I am so wrorried and don't know what else to do. We only have one ENT where I live and I was told he will not see me again. Are there any tests I can ask my family doctor to do even when they can't see anything? Also, is it possible that anything other than cancer could cause these symptoms?

I forgot to mention, I am a 28 year old female, non smoker and very rarely consume alcohol.

Also, when I run my finger on the back left side of my tongue, it is very tender and sore. It hurts to swallow off and on, but it does not hurt to chew. My tongue actually seems to feel better if I eat or chew gum.

PCP's typically couldn't Dx oral cancer if the tumor jumped out of your mouth and smacked them in the face. Many ENT's deal with kids ear tubes and are NOT cancer specialists either so you may have to take a drive to the big city (get a referal first) and find an ENT or H&N surgeon who specializes in cancer Dx.

Has your dentist taken xrays, could it be a cracked tooth? Maybe you need a root canal? Are your gums healthy? Are you rubbing it a lot and irrritating it worse? Do you have a sinus infection? Peritonsillar abcess? Even post nasal drip can cause your symptoms. Have you taken antibiotics lately -that can cause thrush -but even your PCP should be able to recognize that.

It could be many things besides cancer so it's too soon to panic. Take a deep breath and get to the right specialist , get cancer ruled out.

Thank you for your reply Gary.

My dentist did take a panoramic x-ray and did not see anything out of the ordinary. Healthy gums and bones. I do not have a sinus infection and I have not taken antibiotics lately so those can be ruled out as well.

Would an MRI by helpful to see if there are any hidden masses? I will definitely be following up with my doctor to get a referral to another specialist.

Has anyone else experienced these symptoms? I know there are probably no two cases alike but I am trying really hard not to worry and trying to tell myself that it can be something other than cancer.

When symptoms persist for so long, the best bet is to go to a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Although this may be inconvenient, it seems that where you live, you will not be able to get a diagnosis. To paraphrase what Gary said, "just because someone is an ENT or a dentist, doesn't mean they are capable to diagnose you.

Any tests, scans etc. that you have done, must be read by a well trained person. If the diagnosis is cancer, then you are best treated with a team approach.

This has been going on way too long for you to not take a proactive approach and get to the right place.

Good luck.

Xrays are great for bony structures. MRI's are for soft tissue. They won't just order an MRI without a visual area of interest. If you are in the Canadian health care system you may have to really push to get an MRI. The only cancer canter in Canada is in Toronto (Queen Victoria I think).

Strangely, the fact that you have pain is a good thing. Most OC is painless and asymptomatic.

Thank you for your responses.

Yeah, I do have pain off and on, almost like a burning sensation just on the left side of my tongue along with feeling like there is "something" under my tongue.

I went to the clinic to see one of the doctor's today (mine is on a sick leave) and you were right Gary, I really had to push to get an MRI. She initially said no because I was too young and had no risk factors of oral cancer. I informed her of all the research I've done and she could not dispute it and put in a request for an MRI. I have a metal retainer cemented behind my bottom teeth though so she said they may not do an MRI because I will break their machine. Do you know if this is true? She is sending in a referral for another ENT. She said because she can't see anything she doesn't think it's anything serious but I'm not satisfied with that answer.

I can't imagine that an orthodontic retainer that is bonded to your teeth would be required to be removed for an MRI.

I have almost exactly the same thing as you and have been chasing a diagnosis for 1+ years. Im scheduled for a CT of my neck / throat 2/15. I will let you know how it goes. Keep us posted regarding your MRI etc.