Welcome to OCF!
When posting your questions, please remember our members are oral cancer (OC) patients/survivors and caretakers. Our members speak from experience we have learned by going thru OC diagnosis, treatments and recovery. Our members are NOT medical professionals. We do not have years of medical school or any type of formal medical education. Our members pass along what we have ourselves gone thru or as caretakers, watched our loved ones go thru.
There are many things besides cancer that can happen in someones mouth. Anyone who has a sore, bump, lump, etc in their mouth for over 2 or 3 weeks and it does not heal on its own should be checked by a medical professional. By "medical professional", I am referring to an ENT (ear, nose and throat specialist). Make sure you go to an ENT who specializes in treating oral cancer patients. Not that I suspect you have cancer, so please do not read too much into that statement! Im simply telling you which kind of ENT you need to find. You definitely do not want to end up with an ENT who primarily puts tubes in young childrens ears. An ENT who specializes in oral cancer patients should have the most experience in giving a thorough oral cancer screening and by visual exam they should have a pretty good idea of what you have going on. Only thru a biopsy will any medical professional be able to correctly tell you what you have.
You may want to make a few calls and locate an ENT who specializes in treating OC patients. Its likely going to take a few weeks to get in to see the doc. During your waiting, eliminate everything that could cause your delicate mouth tissue to become irritated. Besides cigarettes also avoid mouthwash that contains alcohol and leave your mouth problem areas alone. Hopefully your mouth will heal on its own and you can cancel your ENT appointment.
As for using tobacco... turn this scare into something positive and QUIT!!! Yes, tobacco use for "only" 2 years can and will cause cancer. There are aprox. 600 poisonous ingredients added to cigarettes. When burned it creates more than 7,000 chemicals. There are 70 known cancer causing chemicals. I am a former smoker so I completely understand quitting is NOT easy. I was able to quit cold turkey when I finally saw the big picture while driving to the gastro doc for a feeding tube consult. I was completely horrified thinking about needing a plastic tube sticking out of my abdomen as I would not be able to eat and drink normally while going thru OC treatments and recovery. What hit me the hardest at that exact moment as I was reaching for a cigarette is when I realized I caused the entire situation. I did it to myself and now I had cancer from smoking and even worse... my teenaged children could be left alone without any parent at all due to my "habit". I was so angry at myself at that moment, I said to my son, "thats it, I quit. I will never ever smoke another cigarette in my life". I grabbed the pack, crumpled it up and tossed it right out the window while driving down the turnpike. My son looked shocked because I never ever throw anything out the car window, I do not liter. He had his doubts I could quit cold turkey and said "I hope you really can quit mom". I did, I quit and never smoked another cigarette which Im certain played a major part in how I survived having oral cancer 3 times. There is NO safe form of tobacco, not even the cigars, chewing tobacco or e-cigs are ok. PLEASE, eliminate tobacco from your life immediately and give your mouth a chance to heal on its own without being affected by all those poisonous chemicals. First make up your mind that you really do want to quit smoking, make your plan and find your motivator. For me, my love for my children was what motivated me to quit. I absolutely detested how my "habit" was negatively affecting my children. Set your quit date, stick to your plan and use your motivators to help you to avoid smoking. After 3 days your cravings are no longer real, the nicotine is out of your system. Im sorry if I sound like Im nagging. Your future good health is at risk if you continue to smoke. I lost half of my lower jaw and almost lost my life, please be smarter than I was and quit right now.
Hopefully you have something easily corrected and will not have a need for our help. Best wishes with everything!!!
PS... If you havent already gotten the Guardisil series of shots please consider doing it. The Guardisil shots are now only given twice, several months apart. Any young man or woman between the ages of 12-26 years old can get the Guardisil shots to protect them from contracting the most common STD,
HPV (human papilloma virus). The shots protect against anal, penile, cervical cancers and genital warts. This shot really is very important to get.
