Help....in need of your valued help!!

Im currently on holiday, enjoying the sun in Sydney. I listened to what you said on here and went on our dream holiday. Today ive had a bit of a sore throat and also noticed that the edge of my soft palete on the left hand side has swollen up to the same size as the hatd lump. This is also right next to the hard lump on my hard palate which im worried so muxh about. So now the hard and soft palete on the left hand side are equally swollen.

Is this something that cancer can do in a day?

Literally swell up in a day? Im freaking out as i cant go to the docs here and have to wait another week until i return. The lump had been quite stable since i first noticed it last month but now the soft palete has swollen im scared stiff.

Im very sorry you are having a hard time right now. Ive been away from home and gotten very ill. It is NO fun at all!!! Just being away from home and your regular doctors is stressful enough without all the new issues.

Please understand our group is made up of oral cancer survivors and their caregivers. We do not have years of medical education, training and clinical practice to earn a medical degree.

Im sorry your posts did not receive any response yet. Here in the US, your post came in at 2:29am and the second at 5:49am. The majority of our members are in the US and were likely sleeping so have not seen your questions. I suggest checking out our search function. The search function can answer many common questions instantly. Just type your keywords up in the small box near the top right of any page.

One thing I can advise you about is your stress levels. Stress can play some nasty tricks on the body, especially when not feeling the best. Stress is not helpful to any patient, it only makes everything more difficult. Some patients under too much stress from worrying will see major changes in their symptoms. This could have something to do with what you are going thru. I know you were very apprehensive about going on the trip.

I do not know for certain weather in only 24 hours cancer can cause the major changes you described. If I had to guess I lean toward saying its doubtful cancer can create those kind of changes in such a short amount of time. But I honestly do not know for certain.

There are doctors aboard every cruise ship. They probably have not ever seen oral cancer or an OC patient but they are medical professionals who should have some sort of idea about how cancer presents itself. I suggest to ease your mind to go see the ships doc. It cant hurt to get checked out. Maybe its something minor irritating your mouth and simple medications can help? Maybe steroids can take the swelling down?

Hang in there and try your very best to stay busy to keep from worrying too much.


PS.... This link may help you to better understand about how oral cancer is diagnosed. There are many links to read thru I suggest starting with oral cancer facts then discovery/diagnosis.


Main OCF site --- Understanding oral cancer

Something is obviously wrong. Many different diagnoses need to be considered, not just cancer. We cannot determine what is wrong. For you to keep trying to decide if it is cancer or not will not help you.

You say you will be away for another week. Even if you were still home, you would have to wait for consultation appointment. The important thing is that you have a appointment already set-up for your return.

ive read your story and am sorry to see you here.the mental anguish can be devestating. the mind is a powerful thing.
in reading your story you have forgotten one thing......your wife.you need to let her into your world of concern.she can be the greatest supporter which you need. i have had oral cancer and the mental side can consume you. without my wife by my side,i never would have made it.have faith and i hope the prognosis turn out for the better.

Thanks guys.

The anxiety of all this is killing me i have to admit. Once we get back from our holiday i will tell my wife my worries. Im not going to ruin her holiday now. Seeing her so happy i dont want to ruin it for her.

So as well as worrying about a mouth cancer, my anxiety is focusing on my nasal area again at the moment. I have noticed i have a much tighter space inside the right nostril vestibule than my left. The top bit of the air hole is almost fully closed. I have suffered from sinus problems for years and can see my right side of my septem is bright red and sticks out much nearer my nostril. Im unsure if this is a deviated septum or if its a growth but the bright red colour is worrying.

I understand how anxious you are, but it's not helping you to stay positive. The more you focus on what is wrong, the more things seem to be wrong. Have you considered doing some relaxation exercises to help you relax? There are lots of videos on YouTube that you can follow for relaxation. There are just a few more days to go before you return home. Relaxing until you get home may be the best way to cope.

Hi guys

Thanks for your time with this. You dont realise how much of a lifeline this is at the moment.

Its been a tough day today. I have the mother of all headaches that no tablet has fixed. My nose now feels permenantly numb and ive been getting cheek and ear pain all day. My right nostril now feels completely blocked. My septum is still bright red which has me very worried.

The more i look at pics if my "lump" in my mouth, with the latest changes, its more of a swelling over a good few cm's. I wish you guys could see these pictures so you could see what a mess im deaking with.

Im trying not to 2nd guess here but its feeling more like a nasal sinus problem with hard palate infusion which would make this x10 worse.

The finish my day off my daughter has emailed me a copy of my nhs appointment letter with an ENT specialist that turned up at our house. My appointment is for the 15th march. That is way too far away i was hoping it would be almost straight after we get back at the weekend.

Things are not looking good for me here. Everytime i try and be positive i wake up the next day feeling worse.

This holiday has been a nightmare and cost £6000 which is money i will definitely need if i cant work.

Im thinking i may go to A&E when i get back if i am still feeling like this as i cant wait a further 2.5 weeks for that appointment.

I keep seeing pics of my kids on my phone homescreen and just feel like screaming. I just wish this was a horrible nightmare that i could wake up from. This year had so much promise and now this. Im sufferering So many advanced symptoms it makes me wonder how bad all this is and whether its now even operable.

I have so many horrible thoughts in my head right now. Will it be terminal? How will i look? what will my quality of life be like? will my wife still want me? How will we cope financially if i cant work afterwards?

I just feel so helpless and scared and all i want it to hug my wife and children.

Thanks for allowing me to vent guys.

Yorky, take a deep breath.
You certainly are borrowing sorrow from tomorrow !
Please try and stop watching, taking photos of you mouth, googling, to try and fathom out what is going on in your mouth.
You need a specialist and a biopsy to confirm anything. At the moment you are jumping to conclusions and terrifying yourself. There may well be nothing sinister going on at all. What a shame that you have not been able to enjoy your holiday with your wife.
If I was you, I would go and see your GP when you return to the UK. Tell him/her about all this worry and the stress you are under. Maybe they can get your appointment moved up and also give you some anxiolytic type medications.
I wish you all the best with this and I sincerely hope this turns out to be nothing. Then you will have borrowed all this sorrow from tomorrow for nothing.
Please keep us updated,
Tammy

Well its been a horrible week. Im freaking out with it all.

Got back to the UK, rang the hospital to see if i could get an earlier appointment with a possible cancelation but nothing available. So i will have to wait until the 15th march.

I have had terrible symptoms all week. A headache, ear-ache and pain in my cheek all continuous. Every few hours i seem to get a numb nose then it subsides before its back. Every morning i wake up its numb for a good 30 minutes. My right nostril is now permanently blocked and i have streaks of blood in my mucus when i blow it. I have also had toothache right underneath where im getting the cheek pain. I also think the lump on my hard palate has grown more.

Im really worried by these symptoms now as they seem to be getting worse each day. I have a really bad feeling about it all and my head feels like it will explode with all the pressure. If this is cancer it means its very advanced so what chance will i have.

I see a maxillofacial dentist at the hospital on friday morning (ordered by my dentist) and then i see the ENT next wednesday (ordered by my GP for my nasal problems)

Does anyone know if the maxillofacial dept will just check my mouth or will they be able to check my nose too? I dont know how much more i can take. I really want to know whats happening up there but am im also so scared of what they will tell me.

I cant believe all this is happening to me, im only 46.

Yorky, Im very sorry to see you are still over-stressed and overwhelmed. This is NOT helpful at all. Have you considered seeking out a therapist or someone professional to talk to about your mortality fears? I (and other members) suggested this to you almost 2 months ago. Many patients who have been diagnosed with a serious medical condition need a little help to adjust to the situation. I understand how stressful waiting can be. There are many things available to help, anxiety medications work wonders. Some of the meds take weeks for the patient to see results. Other anxiety meds are for patients who dont need it every day and the patient gets immediate relief.

I strongly recommend you to seek out a professional to help you deal with your situation. Please understand while your situation is horrible, sadly many here have it much worse. Our site has some very sick patients, some have been given a terminal diagnosis, some are unable to take even a sip of water for the rest of their lives, some cant speak; not ever, some are in hospice, others "only" are having a life altering surgery. Yet, somehow these patients will do their very best to make the most of every single day they are happy knowing they are fortunate enough to still be alive. These "brave" people even help others who are in need of info and support without considering their own medical problems.

Please take it day by day and do your very best to focus on what is within your control. I know for a fact if you can concentrate on something positive you will be able to better deal with your situation. Keeping busy can do wonders in helping to pass the time until you get diagnosed (hopefully with nothing serious). I hope you are never diagnosed with any type of head and neck cancer. Best wishes with your upcoming appointments.