Hello all,
I have bren lurking & decided to post. My brother (almost 19 years old) had a biopsy on thursday. My mom said the doctor called it a "plaque lesion"...not sure if that's exactly the way he phrased it though.
It is a sore/lesion on the bottom of his tongue & floor of mouth. It started in january of this year & it apparently has come and gone. It hurts him. Seceral years ago he had an allergic reaction to the packing used (contained petroleum) after having his wisdom teeth taken out. He had hpv vaccine when he was younger.
I am so anxious b/c in my mind i think "what else could it be besides something really bad?!"
When you google things....only cancer seems to come up. It really scares me. Thanks in advance.
There are many possibilities and, infortunately, until you get the biopsy results, there is no other way to find out if it is cancer. Let's hope not.
Thank you for your response. I appreciate it.
The waiting game is awful. I remeber the anxiety of waiting between each course of action when my mother had cervical cancer when i was much younger. Thankfully she is cancer free & doing great today
That's good news plus you have some experience being around cancer, if that's what the biopsy shows.
I know a lady who is a 35 year survivor, June 4 was her anniversary. She was diagnosed at 22 years old.
Until that biopsy comes back, stay away from the Interent. It will wait for you to come back. Enjoy the time.
My experience is that not knowing was the hardest part of this. That is, sadly, is where you are right now. Uptown's advice is right on target. You get through this a step at a time, not looking too far ahead, and keeping a positive attitude while hoping for the best and preparing for whatever happens. Good luck to you and your brother. Be sure to let us know what happens.
The doctor has limited time to explain things to you, so sometimes Google is helpful for understanding what the doctor is telling you. It is NOT useful for answering questions like "is this cancer" and "will this kill me", which is what you want to know. Only cancer comes up because thats what you are looking for.
There is a lot of waiting for a cancer patient. Waiting for test results, waiting in treatment rooms, waiting for years after treatment to see if it will return. Once you have it cancer never really goes away, its a storm cloud hanging just over the horizon.
Worry is a misuse of imagination. Do what you need to do, see doctors, get biopsies etc, and then put it aside. There is more to life than this. Make a conscious effort to keep a positive outlook on everything you do, and be grateful for every day you get to wake up healthy.
That is pretty much a letter to my younger self, of things I wish I appreciated last year. I hope you and your brother never go through what we've had to, but we're here for you if you do.
Cal - your comment about thinking "What else could it be besides something bad?" is exactly what we were thinking after my son's treatment ended, and he had been told he had a spot on his lung which they were checking out. When you are in the "waiting game" it too easy to assume the worst and difficult to realize that the waiting is taking longer due to some reason other than the bad one. In my son's case, it was due to clerical issues because they had to wait on results from two different hospitals. And he's been cancer-free for several years, now. Sometimes "a spot is just a spot" If you can try to think of all the reasons for a positive outcome, it will keep you from worrying about all the negative stuff. And keep busy. Come here often and let us know how things go.
Hi, Cal.
Here's to hoping for nothing but the best results on your brother's biopsy.
Whether it is relevant to his biopsy or not, I am so glad to hear that he has been vaccinated against the worst strains of HPV. We need more of this all over the world. Education is key.
I know how extremely hard it is to wait. We've all been through it, sometimes too many times. Just try to keep yourself and your mind occupied. Go to a funny movie or dive into a good book. Spend time outdoors or do anything that makes you feel some sense of comfort...except alcohol or illicit drugs, lol!
I look forward to hearing some good news soon.
Love and strength in OCF,
Kerri
Cal.... let me share.
He needs to keep a close eye on it. I had the exact same thing years ago!!! and it was removed. 10 years later after two biopsies they found a tumor IN my tongue... and yes IT HURT.
I am not saying it's cancer I am not saying it will become cancer, I am saying he needs to keep a close eye on it and see someone every six months particularly if it persists. It cannot be ignored. Plus if it becomes more painful and worse he needs to go back right away.
My first biopsy came back the same as his.
My second one came back inflamed tissue (they had removed the plack years before it had healed in that area, but a tumor grew UNDERNEATH so there was no sore or lesion just redness and pain)
a few years later it had developed into an actual lesion and it was a stage 2 cancer.
He needs to be diligent. He's young. It's very rare, but not unheard of.
I am a veg head, have never smoked or drank in my life.
I believe it was related to chronic irritation by a tooth in that area.
best of luck. and yay on the cancer free.
Yes, be diligent, but don't let that build to paranoia. Be informed by the doctors not the internet (including us). We're not doctors we are mostly patients and carers. We'll share our experiences and suggestions with the best intentions, but you should take everything that concerns you to your doctor.
I use the internet to understand why the doctors are doing/saying what they do. If they say don't worry about it for 3 months because of xyz, I try to put it aside for 3 months. don't worry about it. The worry never quite goes away, but if I can't put it on a shelf for a while it would drive me nuts.
Results of biopsy showed mild dysplasia. The oral surgeon will strip the area and clear the margins. Not sure if i am using the correct term for removing the lesion.
I know it probably sounds bad to you but to oral cancer survivors you are very fortunate! Its not cancer so hopefully only a quick surgery and thats the last you will have this problem.
Best wishes with your upcoming procedure.
Thank you so much Christine.
Yes... that's terrific. Keep an eye on the area after the surgery. Go for regular check ups. Anything unusual go back to your ENT immediately.
hugs and YAY!