Hi,

I am a 48 yr old F, smoker and occasional drinker. I am in the process of quitting smoking and have tried various things to achieve this but have not been successful for any long amt of time. Except during my pregnancies. I hate smoking and am determined to kick this stupid, nasty habit.

That said, about a month ago I got a sore throat. I took some antibiotics and it stopped hurting. About a week later it came back on my right side. That lasted a day or two, then stopped and came back on my left side with a vengeance. I went to my dr. and she did a strep test and it came back negative. I didn't think it was strep anyway. She had someone call me from the office and I said what do I do now and they couldn't tell me anything. Frustrated, I decided that I should probably call an ENT.

I had a scheduled trip to Las Vegas, where my husband is currently working (and I am very depressed about that, too)so I just got back and made my appt. I cannot get in for a week (3.2.09) This pain has come and gone. I didn't feel it in LV. It came back yesterday. Sometimes with ear pain.

Needless to say, I am freaking out. Should I wait for the appt or try to see someone else sooner? What has anyone done to alleviate the pain in the meantime? Advil does help. Plus, my joints are hurting too, but I don't know if that is from being so tense, sitting at the computer, my hard mattress or a symptom of something else.

Thanks for this forum. Good to have a place to go.

There are many things other than cancer that could be the cause of your symptoms so try to get the discomfort under control and wait to see the ENT. Even and that's a big even, if it's cancer, waiting a few more days won't matter. If you can get to see another ENT sooner then I would do it since you don't have an established relationship with the one you already have the appt with.

I agree...it sounds there could many other reasons for your pain. To my knowledge an antibiotic will not help pain you would experience from cancer. I am by no means an expert, but that has not been my personal experience.

March 2 isn't too far away but you may as well go to a different ENT if they can see you sooner. Piece of mind is always a good thing to have.

Good luck to you
Suzanne

Great that you are quitting smoking, if you need added inspiration there is a post in the Blog section that vividly describes the pain of a man who died of oral cancer caused by smoking.

I agree with David and Suzanne, waiting a few days isn't goint to make a difference and it's going to take more then an antibiotic to handle the pain associated with cancer. But you can never be too careful though and getting it checked out is smart, the earlier you catch the cancer the better odds there is to beat it.