I found this post on the website searching through Google about my symptoms. I have the EXACT same symptoms as this person's husband and I too am
HPV+. I have scheduled a visit to an ENT in Houston. I went to the ENT 2 months ago and they said I had TMJ. My dentist assures me I don't. The pain continues to get worse. Is anyone else familiar with these symptoms or possible cancer?
Thanks.
Hi, MSG,
My husband's first symptom was a slightly painful, small lump near his jaw/neck (likely the cancerous lymph node). He reported it to his internist January, 2007 and she couldn't feel it. It really didn't get too much worse but by March/April but he was having soreness around his jaw and ear pain. He went to his dentist (who saw nothing), an oral surgeon (who noted slight thickening at the base of the tongue which should have been of concern to him as that can be a sign of cancer but wasn't - most likely because he didn't see him as being at risk) and then finally, in May went to an ENT who diagnosed him with TMJ (at that point he was in constant pain in jaw/ear and significant trismis). For some reason his ENT did not scope him and had he done so- would have clearly seen the tumor as we saw it 10 days later via scope at Hopkins. His ENT's notes said he had TMJ and my husband actually demanded an MRI which revealed a 4 cm tumor.
He did not have a sore throat at that point but did have some hoarseness, ear/jaw pain, an significant trismis. None of our doctors or dentists had any knowledge of the
HPV connection and our dentist had no idea how to conduct an oral cancer screening. He felt so bad that he took a training session on oral cancer after that.
_________________________
Sophie T.
CG to husband: SCC Stage 4, T4, N1, M0; non-smoker and very light social drinker;
HPV+
induction chemo begun 7/07; chemo/radiation ended 10/10, first cat scan clear; scan on 5/9/08 clear, scan on 10/08 clear; scan 1/09 clear; scan 1/10 clear
