hi,
i have been sick for 6 weeks now going in tomorrow for biopsy which i have to force my doctor to do... need someone to talk to tomorrow i will be having a biopsy done at my request...because alittle over a month ago i got a white tongue(completely white no spots) and a small swollen lymph node in lower neck. ive seen 8 doctors only 1 being a ent and they all said its nothing and its probably a smokers tongue ive only been smoking for 1 year and im 28. Well my ENT i saw 2 weeks ago refused to give me a biopsy then because he said he didnt see any reason to . i still dont feel comfortable about that so i kept calling and he agreed to do it against his judgement..do you think i have something to worry about ive never experinced anything like this. thanks
If your whole tongue surface was white, I put my vote in for a fungal infection, most likely Candida albicans. There's a web page on the main OCF site that talks all about it. If your oral health got bad enough, that would also account for the node. After all their job is to catch all the detritus of infections and the like. You can't be too cautious being a smoker though, in the end tobacco causes lots of bad things, and knowing for sure from a pathologist will put your mind to rest and on a path to fixing whatever it is.
Oral cancer does not present like this, so I hope that comment gives you a little comfort. Hope you find the strength and desire to stop the tobacco. In the long run it will not bring you good things.
It doesnt sound like what you have will turn out to be oral cancer. Of course, I am not a doctor and only thru a biopsy will your doctor be able to determine if you have cancer or not. Best wishes with your biopsy. Please let us know how it turns out.
I am a former smoker. If I could somehow miraculously turn back time, back til I was your age and knew then what I know now, I would have quit smoking. Please do yourself a huge favor and get rid of the tobacco. There are so many chemical additives in tobacco that it can cause all kinds of problems. If you could see what I looked like after having my lower jaw removed, you would think twice about smoking. Im not trying to give you a hard time, I am trying to get you to understand the seriousness of your habit. Given enough time, tobacco will eventually cause you far more health problems than its worth. Please quit, if not for yourself then for your family. They do not deserve to end up being your caregiver for one of many diseases tobacco causes.
You mentioned that you have been ill for six weeks but the white tongue showed up about a month ago. If you have been taking antibiotics, there is a strong possibility that it caused you to develop oral thrush which is another name for the fungal infection that Brian mentioned.
Thrush can be very painful. But, an anti-fungal medication should clear it up quickly. My ex-husband had a bad case of thrush after stopping and starting antibiotics to address a lymph node in his neck. Ultimately, the lymph node was related to a benign condition.
What worries me more is that you are a smoker who is having a biopsy because you are afraid you have oral cancer...but, you are still smoking. If your biopsy shows that you are cancer free, please use this experience as a wake-up call. Just reading Christine's own account of what tobacco did to her should make you swear off cigarettes for good.
This is what cigarettes do for you:
They make your clothes and your breath stink.
They make your teeth yellow.
They cost you lots of money that you could spend doing something fun or buying something you want or need.
They make your home and car and any other place where you regularly smoke look dingy and dirty and smell like an ashtray.
They cause your arteries to harden more quickly because they cause your cardiovascular system to lay down plaque at a quicker pace.
They cause heart disease, lung disease, and oral cancer...just to name a few potentially fatal diseases.
Cigarettes do not make you look cool, or sexy, or sophisticated. They make you look foolish, unhealthy, and uninformed.
I have lost several family members to tobacco related diseases. Two of my sisters are widows because of cigarettes. My nieces and nephews are fatherless. One of my brothers-in-law died of heart disease, the other died of lung cancer.
Please, please...stop smoking.
Thanx everyone but I forgot to add a few things, I've seen 8 doctors and was treated for oral thrush twice with a antifugal and neither worked tongue still completely white with alittle pain...also I stopped smoking 2 weeks ago thinking that would help clear my tongue what its still white after brushin,scraping.rinsing.flossing etc...I have slight ear pain and haven't had a cold/flu and had 3 labs done and all clear for strep/mono etc... I feel like something is wrong and since everything else has been ruled out what else could it be??
I'm so-o-o-o glad you were able to quite smoking! I've never smoked but I've lost friends and other loved ones to smoking. I can't really know, but I have seen how hard it is to quit. It's good that you took steps to find out for sure what has been causing your problems these past 6 weeks. The biopsy today should let you know one way or the other what it is. Until you find out for sure, please try to think about all the good things mentioned above instead of the negative possibilities. Once you find out, you will be more in control of what happens to you, and can start doing whatever is necessary to get better. Stay with us and let us know what happens with you. We really do care.
Cngrats on quitting smoking!!! Hope you are able to remain free from using tobacco ever again. Good lucky with the biopsy. Please keep us posted.
Ok once again went to the ent for what I thought would be a biopsy to ease my mind but he refused and said I DON'T NOT HAVE CANCER! He looked at me as if I were crazy and made me look in my own mouth and point to whatever I thought was cancer and he said there's nothing there and he would not be able to find anywhere to biopsy because everything looks normal...but why am I still worrying?could he be right from just looking in my mouth????
Good job quitting the cigarettes!
Sometimes, our instincts tell us something is wrong when the pros are telling us everything is fine. You need to have enough information from your doctors to be confident that you are healthy. That you are experiencing pain should prompt your doctors to take a closer look. If you haven't done so already, you could get an opinion from a National Cancer Institute recognized Comprehensive Cancer Center. They are the experts who would be best equipped to tell you if you have something that is malignant or if it is normal. There is a list of NCI CCC's on this website.
Other than being told it was normal, have any of your doctors given you an explanation for your tongue being persistently white, and now, a bit painful? Are you taking any supplements or eating/drinking something that could be causing it? Very strange that it isn't going away.
You had a throat culture for strep and mono that were negative. Did they take a culture of your tongue?
Here are a couple of links:
There are several cancer centers listed in your state.
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/resources/cancer_centers.htmAnd some of the best hospitals listed here:
http://health.usnews.com/health/best-hospitals/cancer-hospital-rankings/Sometimes you really have to listen to your gut feeling and find someone who has had extensive experience with oral cancer and who can give you a correct diagnosis.
Your health is SO important. Hope you can get some good news soon!
No culture of tongue because he said its normal and happens to a lot of people..he didn't have any name for it but he kept saying its not cancer...I still don't feel comfortable with that,but what else can I do??he claims he dealth with hundreds of oral cancer patients and I don't have it and if I did he would be held responsable for not doing biopsy and he said how he wouldn't take that chance if he felt I had anything concerning going on....I need some help what can I do does a ent doctor know from just looking there is no cancer???
They do have a lot of experience but it depends really on the dr. Best thing to do I'd get a second opinion. Good luck...
Trese,
I'm going to be rather blunt, it's just how I am, so I hope you don't take offense.
You've seen 8 Dr's due to this issue, you've just gotten the opinion of an ENT specialist who is telling you he's seen it before and not to worry about it. That's his opinion. If you don't like his opinion, then get another opinion however do yourself a favor and get the best medical opinion available to you in this arena which would be a at a CCC.
Bravo to you for pushing for what you believe will ease your mind, a biopsy, however understand that the Dr's do need an area of concern to pull tissue for a pathology report. We see these posts on these forums often enough, someone believes they have cancer due to risk factors or seeing an awareness campaign and they allow their minds to run wild, worrying themselves into hysteria. Don't be that person.
Your steps to follow right now, get a second opinion from the best medical advice available to you. Nobody on these forums can diagnose you or even tell you if your Dr is qualified and experienced enough to eyeball your area of concern and rule out if it's cancerous or not. You obviously don't trust his opinion anyway so it really wouldn't matter what we believed.
Get to a CCC, get their opinion and be prepared to accept it. From the description I highly doubt it's cancer, but I'm not a ENT who does this for a living and spent over a decade in school and medical training...
Good luck
Eric
Trese:
I know how you feel because I went through something similar in the past. Believe me, you won't rest until you do what the others said, "Go to a CCC somewhere in your area" and get it checked out for once and for all. If you need a reference, ask that ENT who is so sure that there's nothing there to arrange an appointment, or perhaps you won't need a recomendation, just find the telephone number and talk to the Center. If necessary, you could get your family doctor, or even dentist, to recommend you, if necessary. Worrying will drive you nuts, and us telling you not to worry doesn't help either, but it is because we care. Please do this and get back with us.
julieann
Ok thanx so much everyone, I'm kinda torn on what to do and my family already think I'm nutz for going to so many doctors for what they all claim to be nothing, but I will follow through and get a second opinon...can anyone help me would all forms of oral cancer be visible to the eye by a ent he felt my glands and felt spots in my mouth and said its nothing. I don't know why I'm having a hard time accepting that, well maybe because all of my symptoms are still there and there has been no explanation for them????
No not all cancer is visible to the eye - my first biopsy came back inflamed tissue - the underside of my tongue on one side was red - the ENT said well its a large area of redness I don't know where to take from - if he had felt around he might have noticed that there was a lump in my tongue - there was no sore - so its very likely the tumor was under the surface - I thought it was merely scar tissue as I'd had a leukoplakia removed years before - I was wrong. So was he - he either didnt go deep enough or didn't take from the right area - two years later that's where the tumor was discovered. Now saying that - I agree with both of the previous opinions - likely not cancer - however go to a top ccc - have it checked out to ease your mind. Good luck. Dr.s aren't always right but a lot I hem do know what here talking about! Take care!
Cheryl , thnks for that comment I feel like we have been through almost the samething...but where do I go from here ? I have a white tongue instead of red and he's saying its normal???I don't get it its never been like this before so how is it "normal"....cheryl did u smoke when u got the leukoplkia??? And was it just a spot or did your whole tongue turn white??? Not cancer?? But what y can't he tell me what's wrong I would probably feel better....if anyone can google allentown pa the doctor who's seen me has only been in the practice 3 years but told me he's seen hundreds of oral cancer patients????
Trese,
I'm finding it hard not to agree with your family about your mental state. You've worked yourself into hysteria...you are "that" person. Even if it is cancer, which is doubtful, it's not necessarily a death sentence, especially if caught early.
Obviously you don't accept your Dr's opinion...so why care about that Dr now? My suggestion is to get to your GP and ask for an antianxiety med to see you through until you find an answer you'll accept, or score some pot and chill out. I think you'll likely go due to a stroke or anuerysm at this point.
Fox Chase in Philadelphia is a CCC, a top program nationally and is only a little over an hour away (as per Google Maps) 888-369-2427. Call them and get your second before you drive yourself into a mental collapse. Stress will kill you before cancer in my opinion.
You've been told where to go from here from people that "live" oral cancer...now take that advice and run with it.
I agree with Eric. You have ignored three people on the forum that all have some experience with this, who think you have a fungal infection. I don't see any movement from you to determine if that is the very simple cause of your tongue being white. You have been a smoker, so smokers leukoplakia (benign) is also a possibility and when you have been off tobacco for about three weeks it usually just goes away. You have doctors telling that they don't see anhything� this confuses me, since you said your tongue is all white. They would certainly see that. So what's up with that? Bottom line. None of us here are doctors, so we can't tell you anything more. You need to see another doctor for another opinion, have him rule out the simple stuff like fungal, viral, and leukoplakia (which does not turn your whole tongue white but does in spots) and get the answers that will fix things and will calm your mind. These cancer patients here, have done what they can. Please post again after you have another medical opinion from someone that has looked physically in your mouth.
Brian,
I have mentioned before I was treated twice for fungal infection with no response with two different antifungal..also I never said they didn't see anything out of the 8 doctors all said they saw the white but they said its a smokers tongue or oral thrush and ent said its normal and sometimes it goes away and he doesn't know what causes it ...I have a piercing pain in my ear and head that goes and comes ...my ent won't biopsy but all the other doctors told me I should have one ...I made another appointment to see another ent doctor for this week...I called the ccc places nearest to me but they can't see me unless diagnosed with some form of cancer..I'm not tryin to be a pain but don't know where else to turn both my parents died from cancer and my mom wasn't diagonsed early enough to help her...I just don't want to have the same happen to me...so I'm just here looking for help and advice...what symptoms should I look for??? Yes my tongue is completely white no spots this can not be normal???
Trese,
First, oral cancer isn't genetic so just because you have family history of cancer doesn't mean you'll get OC.
Second, your "symptoms" do not matter, why? because only a certified Ear Nose & Throat specialist is qualified to diagnose you, it's their job, it's what they do. You've been to one that you didn't agree with, so now you've got a second opinion scheduled...that's the ONLY THING YOU CAN DO AT THIS POINT!!!! It's the ONLY ADVICE THAT WE CAN GIVE, other then getting a psych consult to boot.
I'm not trying to be mean or cruel here, just pointing out the obvious. We are not Dr's, you've asked for advice, you've been given it, now follow it. There's no more information you can gather or advice from us AT THIS POINT that can help you.
There's a quote usually attributed to Albert Einstein that says "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Asking the same questions over and over and expecting a different answer may be a sign...of course me giving you the ONLY advice we can give at this point to you over and over may be one as well.
To humor myself I'll dive into crazy
1. Get a second opinion from the best ENT available to you
2. Get a second opinion from the best ENT available to you
3. Get a second opinion from the best ENT available to you
(that's my obsessive compulsive disorder quota filled, now let's dive deeper just to ensure the proper amount of insanity)
4. Get a second opinion from the best ENT available to you
5. Get a second opinion from the best ENT available to you
6. Get a second opinion from the best ENT available to you
Now that's DOUBLE the amount of my usual OCD to ensure that I've made it clear. Your welcome by the way.
After you've been seen by an ENT with whom you will accept an opinion from, AND you've been diagnosed through a biopsy that you do in fact have oral cancer then I know that these forums are the best source of information. At that time we know exactly what you're dealing with and most likely someone here will have a similar experience in which to draw wisdom from. That's the point and purpose of these forums...not diagnosis.
Check the other forum - I suggested you try something there - its not a placebo I really think you should try it! GOod luck!!
Eric, you made me smile. I just love how you put it out there and tell it like it is. No games!
Einstein and Eric were right: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." There is a reason, however, why many of us do this (according to what I learned in a college class on Biological Foundations of Behavior) :
When we follow a certain thought process, our brains are making little tracks so that each time we get back to the same thought, we automatically follow the same track and get stuck there. Not getting the desired results can lead to stress and even physical symptoms or worse. Or until we can ask ourselves -
�How�s that working for you?� And make new "tracks" by doing what Eric and others have suggested and -
�Get a second opinion from the best ENT available to you.�