Posted By: Kdc2017 Am I crazy for thinking this is oral cancer?? - 11-10-2017 07:11 AM
Hi everyone.. I don't know if I'm jumping the gun here or not. I am terrified I may have oral cancer. I have an appointment with an ENT on November 28th, which is the soonest they could get me in, as I don't know what other specialist to see. Our current insurance doesn't offer any dental plans so an ENT is the only medical doctor I could think of to try. I am 27 years old. I have a white patch on my gum/cheek. Now the skin on my face on the outside of where the white patch is has become tender to touch. Not very painful but noticeable. No bleeding and no lumps. My ears have been bothering me with random fleeting pains, and I was treated for an ear infection in august. I've never had problems with my ears, and never had an ear infection prior to august. The pains seem to be mostly triggered by cold or water. I also feel like there's a catch in my throats when I swallow. It's only when I swallow saliva, never when I swallow food. I've had this sensation for over a year and was treated by an ENT who used a scope and saw nothing. He said it was a globus sensation caused by silent reflux. I also get random pains in my neck/throat that feel like a mild pinch. Nothing constant but sporadic. I am a tobacco user but I'm trying to quit. Cancer does run in my family, all kinds. I mentioned my concern to my primary doctor and she wasn't worried because of my age. She did blood work and said if there was any cancer my labs would show something was going on. My labs came back fine so she didn't do anything further which is why I made the appointment with the ENT. Does this sound like oral cancer or could it be anything else? I don't know what to think and my mind keeps going to the worst. I'm looking for any insight at all or anyone who can relate. Thank you!
Welcome to the forum. Going to an ENT is a positive step. He/she will probably be able to answer your questions, and if he/she thinks that anything warrants it, a biopsy may be ordered and that’s when you will find out for sure.

We are a group of patients and caregivers who have experience with oral cancer but we do not have the medical training or knowledge to tell you what your problem may be, one way or the other — you won’t want us to anyway since it will be very irresponsible of us if we even attempt to do that.

I would suggest carrying on with life as normal and wait until you have the appointment. No amount of fretting at this point will help. Don’t borrow sorry from tomorrow.
Welcome to OCF! Hopefully you have nothign serious and will not need our services. If you would have cancer, you are in the very best place for info and support. One of the best things you can do is to remain calm, stay busy and do your very best to think positively. You do not need the added stress worrying causes.

Oral cancer does not always present symptoms which is why its often not discovered until its in its later stages. Anyone who has a sore or lump in their mouth for 2-3 weeks and it does not heal on its own should seek out a medical professional to determine exactly what they are dealing with. As a smoker, you are not allowing your body to heal on its own. By smoking you are taking in hundreds of known cancer causing chemicals with each puff. I know quitting is not an easy thing to do but please seriously consider eliminating tobacco use of all forms. Even e-cigs claiming to be chemical free have been found to have nicotine among many other chemicals added. Im a former smoker so I speak from first hand experience.... QUIT NOW!!!

If the ENT you are seeing specializes in treating oral cancer patients then you are going to the right person. You do NOT want to be checked by an ENT who primarily puts tubes in kids ears! Oral cancer is not a dental issue, its medical and should be covered by most insurance plans. Family doctors do not always have oral cancer patients on a routine basis so ruling out someone simply by age is not appropriate. Also, blood work will not detect oral cancer. While most patients who get diagnosed with OC are older than you, we have had quite a few younger people in their 20s as members. Only thru a biopsy will you know exactly what you are dealing with. Many experienced ENTs will do an OC screening and by visually examining the spot or sore they will be fairly certain of what a patient has. There are many, many things your spot could be besides cancer. Dysplaisa or leukoplakia are a couple examples of common sores people get. Most are easily treated and not serious at all. A biopsy is taking a tiny piece of tissue from the spot and getting it evaluated at a lab then the pathologist writes the report and sends it back to your doc. If you do not eat a balanced diet this can also affect your oral health negatively.

For more info, please read thru our main OCF site where there are many pages of info to better explain what Ive written. Hopefully you have nothing serious going on. Please let us know how your exam turns out. Best wishes!!!

Main OCF site, Understanding oral cancer
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