Hello,
I have never been on a forum before in my life, but i need to talk to contact someone to help me through the way I am feeling right now. I have not been diagnosed, but for the last 2 nights I can not stop crying with what I have read on the net.
Family and friends think I am stupid in thinking that I might have cancer, but I dont think I am going mad.
Any help will be much appreciated.
I will start from the beginning.
In March 2011 I got a "sore" on my gum where a missing tooth is,I have a denture with several teeth on.
After a few weeks it did not seem to go away, so as I was due a dental checkup I went to my Dentist for my yearly check up and to see if I needed antibiotics for the "sore".
The dentist told me that the small red abrasion was not an infection, but caused by my palatte. He told me to swill my mouth with salt water and adjusted my palatte. He said it could take around 6 weeks to heal, but go back if it did not clear up.
6 weeks later it was still there. So off to the dentist I go.
He said the same thing. Denture problem, he adjusted it again.
another 3 weeks its still there, its not really sore, but hey its there. So I go to the dentist. Same thing again, this time he said come back in 2 weeks. 2 weeks later i go he said it was a "gum tag" caused by my denture and that he would have to remove it. He assured me it was nothing to worry about/and or sinister.2 weeks later I go expecting him to remove it, but he said no need to, as it looks like its starting to clear. But come back in 2 weeks. I am next due to go back a week on tuesday.
I hope you get the picture.
I never knew that a long term small red spot/sore could be oral cancer. If I did I would of done more.
Part 2.
The last month I have had pain in my neck, ear throat area. My neck feels stiff, its not a sharp pain, but more of dull ache.
I have been meaning to go the doctors with it but i felt silly going with a stiff head/neck.
So on Friday night I look on the net for answers to cure a stiff neck, etc.
Head and neck cancer symptoms came up.
I read that earache, neck pain, red spot/sore in mouth are red flag symptoms.
Oral cancer could be a ulcer or sore that does not heal after 3 weeks. I was never aware of this.I am freaked out that this sore is cancer and I think now its spread to my neck. Have I been misdiagonosed by my dentist? Surely he should be aware of oral cancer. I thought I had done right in going but now i am so worried. I am going to the doctors tomorrow.
But I swear now that i can feel this dull ache down my shoulder blade. Can this thing attack so quick? I read the sooner its diagnosed the better survival rate. But its a "quiet" cancer not producing pain un til its advanced.
As you can imagine I am so scared right now,I am a female and have just turned 40, I have been with my partner for 12 years, and married last year.We Have just recently decided to try for a baby. I have always worked in factory environemts, and shift work, I have never smoked, but do drink, I do like the sun, not that we get much in the north east of england.
Any words of encouragement would be so kind.

And any help with information with all the brave people
who have gone through this.

Carolinex

Welcome to OCF, Caroline! I hope all your symptoms turn out to be nothing serious. Please stop searching the internet and getting yourself upset, it will not help you at all. You have discovered the most comprehensive place for all info about oral cancer and it is most importantly correct info. Just because you read things online does NOT make them true so please help yourself by not continuing to do online searches.

Unfortunately, yes your symptoms could be oral cancer. COULD is the word! Dont get upset, learn and empower yourself!

Too often dentists do not recognize oral cancer. This is a very sad but true statement. This will cause oral cancer patients to go undiagnosed for longer than they should. This makes it harder to treat, but not impossible to treat. Many Stage IV survivors successfully conquer oral cancer and its treatments. Im one of them!

I would suggest you seek out an ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist. Look for someone who treats oral cancer patients. Show them the lesion and give all your symptoms. They will need to do a biopsy to know what your sore is. Honestly, sometimes dentures can cause mouth sores which are very hard to heal since it continually rubs on the denture. I would suggest rinsing several times per day with a mixture of 16 oz warm water, 2 tsp baking soda and 2 tsp salt. Sorry I do not know the UK equivalent to US measurements. This will help to neutralize your mouth and promote healing.

Best wishes!!!

Caroline

Yeah, Dr. Google is pretty scary. I second the advice to go to an ENT (ear,nose throat) doctor which is a nickname for their formal title: Otolaryngologist
The ENT may take a biopsy right there in the office. Only a biopsy and pathology report confirm cancer. But ENTs also see lots of non cancer sores and recognize them so it may not even be necessary.
You can also ask the ENT for a CT scan of your head and neck.
At this point, telling you to RELAX is not going to help although you do need to take a Deep Breath and CALM DOWN.
As for words of encouragement, if one your lymph nodes on your neck has not expanded to the size of a golf ball, that's a good sign. Also none of your symptoms mean it has to be cancer, each and every one of them, and even all of them together can have other non-life threatening causes.
But your peace of mind requires you to see an ENT in my opinion.
Charm

Hi there - unfortunately dentists don't always recognize oral cancer... There was another person here - who had braces and they kept chalking the unhealing sore in her mouth up to irritation from the braces... When she had them removed it was still there and finally she was diagnosed with OC. Not saying you have oral cancer but my ENT (not a good one obviously thought the sore under my tongue was related to irritation from a molar - not true several years later - I got an scc diagnosis, if for no other reason than peace of mind see an ENT - have a biopsy done - and find out for sure. Good luck... And take care.

Thankyou all so much for your words of encouragement. You are all so kind to take time to reply. I have just been to a local walk in doctors surgery for help. The doctor has examined me , I have no ear infection to cause pain. And his diagonosis for my stiff neck and shoulder blade pain is connective inflamed tissue. He can feel tenderness. He said this pain can radiate upto my ear. He examined my mouth and said the right hand side was inflammed, as for the red spot he said that I need to go to mydoctor to get a referral to a ent . He did say thatthis should.have been done normally after 3 weeks. He has given me antibiotics, strong anti inflammation tablets and painkillers if I need them. My red spot is on the front left hside of my gums, and he reckons that my neck etc pain which is on the right would not be connected. I'm still going to ky doctor's tomorrow.
Thankyou all once again, you are all truly inspirational. I feel much better knowing that people like you take time on a stranger to help them.
X

I'm glad to see you are getting to the proper MDs for diagnosis. Part of what OCF does is to educate dentists about oral cancer screenings as part of regular check ups. Yes, even though they ate pros doen't mean they don't still need some education.

It's so true what David R. said about not all dentists being knowledgeable regarding oral cancer screening. If you go to this OCF link:
http://oralcancerfoundation.org/dental/index.html - and scroll down a little bit you will see "How to know if you have had a proper oral cancer screening". There is also a section for dentists on doing a proper oral exam. When I first went to my dentist I asked if he did exams for oral cancer and he said "Oh yes, with every patient" but I later found out that he really wasn't doing the kind of exam he should have been. I printed out a bunch of pages from the OCF site which included oral exam information and left it with the office people. The next time I went in he did a very thorough exam just like the description from OCF. He even got a Velscope for his office! (I had left info on that, too.)

Hello again, I made a typing error I was meant to say march 2012 not 2011, in my first post.

Caroline x

And I meant to say "they are pros", not "they ate pros". But then they say you are what you eat. ;-). I am fortunate (well, not fortunate for him) to have a dentist who is himself an oral cancer survivor.

Caroline--I hope that your symptoms turn out to be something less scary and dangerous than you have been fearing. I hope you will also go beyond the docs you have seen so far and include a good ENT in the mix, as others have suggested; I think they are best for ruling in or out the possibility of the cancer you have feared, and be best able to give you peace of mind. A thorough exam for oral cancer is not that difficult; scoping the base of the tongue with a tiny tube causes some tickling and slight irritation, but it is brief and the only way to see the hidden parts of your oral cavity. A PET scan can help identify any indications of cancer anywhere in the body should there be any visible indications of cancer. Whether the news is good or bad, getting the news as soon as feasible, and with the highest degree of certainty, will be the best solution to your health anxieties. Good luck!

Caroline, we have all been there and we know it's scary at times. Please get a referral to an ENT. My doctor found a spot on my pallette and sent me to one and he sent me for a CT scan the next day. Once you are referred you can put your mind at rest and find out what is going on. ENT is a must though. Worrying and googling just causes stress. Believe me I know because I did it.

Hi everyone,
I just would like you to be updated so far. I have been to my Dr, and explained about my mouth sore/spot. Also explained about my ear and neck pain, shoulder blade pain. She took a look into my mouth and felt along my neck and shoulder. She said the neck pain ect, is down to muscular. And that I should go to my dentist, for the mouth issue. She also said that these two were not connected. I went to my dental practice. But demanded to see another dentist. After a more thorough exam he has told me there is nothing to worry about. That the sore is down to sinus drainage. I have to complete the course of anti biotics , then go back. I have been to see a physio, and have been told that my sternocleidmastiod muscle is really inflammed. And that if does not get better with in a week to go to my dr. So I am not really any further forward. I don't feel my concerns are being taken seriously, so I have just got to try and stay relaxed, and wait. So frustrating. Thanks again for all your support and guidance. I will keep updating.
Caroline x

I would stop putsing around with dentists. I saw a dentist and oral surgeon and they kept messing around with me for 5 months. The one person who told you to see an ENT gave you a good suggestion. I would tell the dentist that said it was just sinus drainage, that if the antibiotics don't work, you want a referral to an ENT. You have been dealing with this for far too long for them to keep playing with you. If all of the things they have tried, as well as the Anti's don't work, and it's been how long, then they need to refer you to someone who is more qualified to help you and not take so long! Best of luck, you are in my thoughts!

Caroline,

My GP and an Oral Surgion both had a problem with figuring out my "Red Spot" it was an ENT that nailed it down.

Go to the search bar and type "how potato chips saved my life" and you can read how I got to the ENT.

Caroline--you clearly seem worried and not fully reassured by the care and responses you have received so far. ENTs are the experts in this area and tend to have MUCH more experience than dentists in sorting out cancer from other issues. A second opinion by an ENT would give you more definitive information and help you be more at ease, as otherwise this may nag at you for many months more. A quick biopsy in the office, and the more thorough exam than an ENT can perform, can make all the difference.

Time to put your foot down Caroline

A referral via your GP will work just as well as a referral from a dentist. Pick the one that you feel is most likely to do what you ask and then lay it out for them.

You have been going through this for 6 months and so far the problem has not been fixed. Remind the doctor/dentist that despite adjusting the dental plate and taking antibiotics you still have a sore in your mouth. Let them know their solutions are clearly not working. You would like a referral to the ENT to get to the bottom of this once and for all. Now. Please. And no, being shunted back to the other healthcare professional is not an option - it didn't work the first time so why do they think it would work this time?

Why do people do the same thing over and over on the off chance the result will be different to the first time they did it. It's like looking for your lost car keys - you know you checked the dresser already, but you keep going back to it in case they have magically appeared. The exception would be any woman's handbag ...

For what it's worth, odds are you do NOT have cancer. Oral cancer is rare and even rarer for young women. However, you need to settle your mind so do whatever you need to to get that referral to a specialist.

It took me almost a year before the Drs would listen. ER Drs are manily who I told because this mouth sent me to them. Damn it was bad with teeth falling out taking fillings with them. Then one day a Dr finally listened and did a biopsy. I was right. Cancer had moved in. The Dr called for a second opinion and told the other Dr not to be gentle because I knew what was wrong. Then the fun began.

You really have to advocate for yourself and get to an ENT. No question about it.
Kathy