Hello all,

I'm visiting this site not as a cancer patient or survivor, but more in an effort to learn from you all and hopefully avoid the situations that many of you have had to face. Let me tell you all a little bit about myself... I'm 25 yrs old, and I have dipped (past tense) for about seven of those years (probably 5 at a can or so a day). Like many of us, I used to maintain the notion that I was impervious to cancer and that it would never happen to me. Well, a little bit of age and information certainly changes all of that.

I have always read and been told that oral cancers are extremely rare, even among those who use tobacco (this was part of my justification for continuing the habbit). However, there seems to be far too much information and far too many cases for this to be entirely true. I have become increasingly more concerned with my health as of late, and I want to be able to confidently abandon that fear and get on with life.

Last July found me at the 6.5 year mark for dipping, and I was feeling some discomfort in my jaw, some soreness in my gums, and an overall fear of developing cancer. I decided to quit the habbit. The emotional stress at that point was quite intense, and I finally broke down and made an emergency trip to my dentist so that he could look at a peculiar looking patch on my tounge. I had not seen him in about 3 years, so I was fearing the worst. He checked me out, and told me that he felt it was only an irritation from chewing too much gum during my quit attempt (my tounge rubs against my back molars when I chew). (Also, I still need to have my wisdom teeth extracted, and the lower left one is impacted... not causing any real pain, but it is situated down in the bone, pushing on my other teeth. This is basically where the irritation has presented iteself.) He said that overall, my mouth appeared healthy and that he wanted me back in 2 weeks for a follow up & cleaning... I went back, the irritation had pretty much resolved itself, and I went away happy.

4.5 months later (during the holidays), I had a couple of dips since my mouth was feeling good. This of course led to the eventual re-start of the habbit. I have been away from the dip AGAIN for about 8 days, and the irritation seems to have re-appeared. Again, I have been under an incredibly high stress load (working full time, taking a full course load at the local university, moving into a new house, it just goes on & on...). My tounge is somewhat less irritated than it was a few days ago, and there are no visible white patches, red patches, lumps or other "typical" signs. The patch that feels irritated looks kind of like the small papillae have been rubbed away, but there are no changes in color or anything. This is the same as it was before.

Well, to make a long story short, I am again worried, and just about due for another dentist appointment. I know that I need to have my wisdom teeth extracted, but I cannot afford it right now. I feel some pressure from the impacted tooth, and that could again be part of the problem. I am here reading your posts, gaining not only knowledge from this site but insight from your stories. Please do not take offense, but I certainly do not want to experience the things that you all have had to endure. I wish I had never taken that first dip, but you can't change the past. All I can hope is that I have not permanantly set my course for cancer. Reading your stories and absorbing the information here is strengthening my resolve by the second to stay away from that stuff for good.

I do not know if there are many ex-tobacco dippers posting on this site, but any stories, insights, or motivation would be appreciated.

By the way, I have been a member of another online forum dedicated only to spit tobacco users trying to quit. The site is www.quitsmokeless.org and your stories could really help motivate many of us on the forum. I don't know if you feel like being "online public speakers," but if you happened to drop in and offer a story, I know it would be taken to heart in a big way.

Good luck to all... And Brian, if you happen to have a chance to offer me some hopefully preventive tips and opinions, I am all ears. Thank you. - - - - Great site.

Hoss, Keep trying and trying. I never dipped but smoked the almighty cigarettes. I was bio'd three times and told it was pre-cancer, but not cancer. Fourth time I was out. But just to give you some hope, I convinced a young dipper to quit after I told him my story. He's been off for six months now and I'm really proud of him. Glad you shared your story with us and please don't give up. I really wish there had been a site like this when I was trying to quit smoking. Maybe I would have thought a little more than I did. But like you I always went back because of stress. That stress was nothing like the stress I've had since the day I was told I had the big "C". Keep us posted on your progress and good luck. Anne.

Hi Hoss.............Hold on there---don't think about or stress about cancer until you hear from the doctor those three little words: You Have Cancer, otherwise you're gonna drive yourself crazy and probably for no just cause! You're doing all the right things; seeing your dentist, asking questions and doing some research--all good. The hard part to all of this is the nicotine addiction that you have developed over the years. Seems to me like you are heading in the right direction to rid yourself of the addiction though, and that is the good news in all of this! Any addiction is a tough thing to kick and I admire you for doing so at a relatively young age! Have you thought about the nicotine patch or the anti depressant Zoloft to help control the urges? Just a thought. Anyway, congratulations on quitting the dipping and I wish you much more continued success. Keep us posted on your progress, and good luck! SIncerely, Donna

I have to say something that might not be popular, but an experience nonetheless. My dad had been to the dentist at least 5 times, over an impacted tooth. The dentist did xrays, gave him painkillers, and sent him home. Finally, after at least 3 years (maybe more) of dealing with this, he had moved to a new city. He had the same impacted tooth problem, and went to a different dentist in a different city, and voila, it's squamous cell carcinoma (forgive my spelling). He ended up having half of his upper jaw removed, and now lives with a prosthesis that covers the nasal cavity in the roof of his mouth. He has been cancer free for awhile now, but it could have been much less radical if the FIRST or SECOND trip to the dentist had produced the correct results. Are you seeing the same dentist over and over? Perhaps a second opinion? I'm just being objective. It's a scary prospect, but early detection is paramount. I'm not saying it is cancer, but damn, don't you wanna make sure your dentist is right? I'm not trying to freak you out, but think about a second opinion, or a third, or a fourth. It took 3 dentists to get the correct diagnosis for my dad. Just some thoughts!

Hoss,

If you still check this site, I'm your poster child. I enjoyed Skoal longcut for about 15 years. On September 11, 2000 ( my personal September 11) I had a biopsy taken which was reported to me as being Squamous Cell Carcinoma on September 18. Numerous people have asked me if I think that my "dipping" was related to my cancer. My standard answer has been that my first clue that tobacco may have played a part in my cancer is the warning printed on some cans of Skoal that "This product may cause mouth cancer". In my case I believe that this product "did" cause mouth cancer. I have been nicotine free since Sept 11, 2000 and don't miss it at all. Hope this helps you and anyone else trying to quit "the habit". I couldn't quit until I had cancer, wish I could turn back time, but short of that, helping others by telling my story will also give me satisfaction.

Good Luck!!

Hoss:

Oops. I posted a reply to you but unwittingly started another topic. Please see "See a doctor not a dentist."

Sandra (Helen's daughter)

Hello everybody,

Well, it's been a while since I have visited the board and guess what... I HAVE CANCER!!!!! Not oral cancer though... After all of my worry over dipping and having something appear in my mouth, I pretty much broke the bad habbit. However, in early June I began having some discomfort in my "boys downstairs". After performing a self-exam, I found a hard lump in my left testicle. Talk about roller coaster of emotion!! Well, a quick visit to my primary care physician, then to my urologist, then to the hospital for bloodwork & an ultrasound confirmed my fears - Testicular Cancer!

On June 14th, I underwent a radical orchiectomy to remove the affected testicle. The pathology report came back showing pure embryonal carcinoma (one of the more agressive types of the disease). After some additional bloodwork, x-rays, ct scans, and PET scans, it was found that the cancer had spread into my para-aortal lymph nodes. They are in too sesitive a location for surgery, so CHEMO it is!!! I start my first cycle of BEP treatments on Monday 7/29/02. This is supposed to take three months (three cycles).

Needless to say, I am not at all pleased at these developments, but there is nothing I could have possibly done to avoid this one. Oral cancer on the other hand, I hope to steer clear of. I know I will beat this S.O.B., and I will soon join you all as a survivor (of a different sort). It's kind of ironic that I was soo scared of oral cancer, only to find out that I have testicular cancer. Life's a b*&ch sometimes, but I have a great family, good friends, a good company behind me 100%, and I will beat this!!!!

I will post again when I have a chance, but it may be a while. In the mean-time, any prayers sent my way would be greatly appreciated. Good luck to you all.

Hoss, so sorry to hear this news. But I can tell by your note you are strong and stubborn and that is what counts. You'll make it through us. You will be in all of our thoughts and prayers. Keep us posted and Take care. Anne.