MeierEce,

To answer your question about symptoms. my daughter Heather had cancer in the base of her tongue. Her main symptoms were a sharp pain in her ear and a sore throat with a feeling that something was caught in her throat. She had no enlarged lymph nodes. A neck dissection revealed cancer in 4 nodes, but the largest was only about 1 cm.

Besides doing a visual with palpation, doing a scope like Brett said is a good idea. Depending on what that does or doesn't show, either a biopsy or a PET/CT scan would be preferable next. CT scans show some tumors, but not all (Heather's 3+ cm tumor wasn't detected). An MRI is better, but a PET/CT is usually better yet. Unfortunately, no diagnostic tool is foolproof.

The main thing is to have the doctor explain everything. If he thinks it isn't cancer, why not? If he says it's because you are too young or didn't use chew enough years, call him on it. Heather was 28 when diagnosed and never used any tobacco, but she died last October from oral cancer.

If the doctor has valid reasons for feeling the swollen nodes are no big deal, that's good, but make sure you are satisfied with his reasoning.

One thing you said leads me to believe that perhaps this is not cancer. You said that the initial swelling on the left side has gone down. Swelling doesn't usually subside once cancer is in a node.

Good luck and be sure to let us know the results. Hoping for good news for you.

Rainbows & hugs,
Rosie

MeierEce,

When I met with my DF doctors, it was apparant that 1)they were incredibly busy and 2)one of the doctors was incredibly bored by my questions. Normally I feel bad asking questions of doctors knowing how busy they are. This time, though, I knew the answers would (in your case only could and I pray it turns out a-okay for you) change my life, I couldn't care less about their schedules/boredom. They even told me the finger exams, CTs, etc. was incredibly underwhelming!!

Didn't matter to me, and it shouldn't matter to you. Beat down those doors and demand ANSWERS and RESPECT. They were answering every last questions I had. I was a split second from looking at bored Doogy and saying "Excuse me, but if you're bored. There's the door. Use it." To this day I still regret not saying it.

And their "underwhelmed" feeling dissipated when the second surgery turned up a lot more cancer their "finger exams, CT, etc." didn't show.

And ask for anything they've got. PET Scans, CTs, needle biopsies, whatever. You can bring those to the different docs to review. Like I mentioned - my scans/xrays showed zippo but the second surgery turned up a bunch. I personally don't think any non-majorly invasive test is overdoing it.

GO GETTUM!

Sabrina

MeierEce, Another test you may end up with is a sonogram-directed needle biopsy. If the small needle biopsy doesn't show conclusive evidence either way, then the sonogram biopsy may be required. I had two small needle biopsies which didn't come back positive, only "suspicious", yet the sonogram-directed biopsy was very conclusive and came back positive for SCC. That after CT/PET/MRI scans that were also "suspicious". Hang in there, don't know whats up until the results are sure.

Thanks for the advice.
My blood test came back and i had a slightly elevated white bolld count. Not sure if that means anything or not. I am going to be out of town for a couple of weeks and the anxiety is ruining me because I feel like soemthing is wrong but I don't know what it is. I have not been able to concentrate on anything but how I have been feeling. I am constantly feeling around my neck and my mouth. My biggest concern is that I have lumps on my neck, I feel like something is caught in my throat and I have one moveable bump on the floor of my mouth. Last night I had a long talk with my wife about how I was feeling. She has been so supportive. I find my self doing all sort's of research on what this could be and i keep coming back here looking for more information. Thanks to you all for who are posting.

Andy,
Interestingly enough people usually are freaked out in the stage where they are wondering whether or not they have cancer but calm once they know. I know that I was. As soon as I learned that I did indeed have cancer, then I calmed down and did what had to be done. It is not knowing that is so maddening.
Although I was Stage IV I had no symptoms other than a dry, scratchy throat, and was not finally diagnosed until I went to an ENT complaining that when I swallowed food, it would hit something and come back up. First he sent me for a barium swallow which showed something, but once I returned and he put that little scope down my nose, he could clearly see the big tumor at the base of my tongue.

I wish that your appointment was sooner so that you could be relieved of the anxiety, and , of course, I hope that it is something other than cancer.

Best of luck,
Danny G.

A slightly elevated WBC can be a sign of an infection. Lumps around the neck could be knotted muscles from tension or too much computer usage. Swollen lymph glands are usually almond shaped to the touch as well.
About your ENT exam - they should use mirrors, palpation and possibly a nasolarygniscope down your nose for a video look see. None of these are any big deal. They will numb you for the scope. Even if they do a biopsy - it's relatively painless. We always say "it aint cancer until the pathology report says it is".

I hope that you have made a decision to never use tobacco products again.

I was able to get an exam first thing in the morning. I know so much more about this disease than I did just a few weeks ago. I will let you all know how things turn out. I have kept each and every one of you in my prayers since I found the OCF site, so thank you for your thoughts as well.

Quick Update. I went to the Exam last tuesday and the did a scope and felt around for a bit. The doctor didn't see anything that he felt was out of the ordinary. He did prescribe some flonaise and somethign else for some congestion adn minor acid reflux disease i have. In addition He did as a precautionary measure order a CT scan. I have that next monday and a follow up to review the results. So i gues no new news is good news. I continue to wish all the best for each and every one of you. Your optimism has been a real inspiration to me to help me through the last few weeks. Thanks again.

Andy

Andy, Thanks for the update, there are plenty of people here just waiting to cheer like the ground crew of the Apollo 13 space craft.

Here is to hope!

Thanks for the prayers. Today, i was feeling around and I feel lumps on my lip. I am not sure how long they have been there but I called the ENT immediately. I have my CT scan tomorrow and the follow up with him next monday. Sabrina, I read what you wrote how you tests didn't show up anything but, something tells me I can't let this go just yet. My wife keeps telling me to relax and that is helpful, but I can't help but feel that I have something terrible about to happen.
On another note, in an earlier post I mentioned that part of my anxiety is around my wife being pregnant. Well we went for an ultra-sound and found out that we are having a little girl.
I will continue to let you all know how things are going.

Andy