In a word, I'm scared. I noticed patches of swelling on my gums beginning in about January of this year. Since my dentist had warned me about my overzealous brushing, I thought I'd done it again, but made an appointment for a check-up/cleaning. Naturally, had to wait 6 weeks for a convenient appointment -- sores were still there. My dentist told me to come back after 6 weeks to check progress -- sores still there. he referred me to an oral surgeon and recommended that I "go ASAP." Oral surgeon took a biopsy from my back upper gum and one from my tongue last Friday. So, now I'm very impatiently playing the waiting game and pretending I understand all of what could be wrong with me. The gland (I think) on my right side, right under my jaw bone, swells to almost the size of a golf ball (you can literally see it from several feet away) every time I eat now where used to be that I only noticed it with certain foods and my GP assumed it was an allergic reaction. I'm only 31 but I do smoke cigarettes, definitely drank too much in college and still enjoy an occasional couple glasses of wine. I'm not a hypochondriac (although I guess hypochondriacs wouldn't admit it, would they?)

Sorry for the long post -- I think I just needed to vent honestly. Also, I should be getting the results of the biopsies on Friday or Monday. If it is Oral Cancer, what questions do I need to ask?

I'm particularly unhappy with a dentist that sends you away for 6 weeks to see if something will resolve and get better, especially after knowing that you waited so long with the condition before your appointment to come in and be checked. What was this guy thinking about? ANYTHING which does not resolve in 2 weeks on it's own or with treatment is suspect. More than two weeks had already gone by, by the time you saw him. This is dentistry 101. This guy didn

hi, i had a similar situation to yours. my problems began when i had braces put on that constantly irritated my tongue. this irritation caused a huge, horrible looking patch that was completely ignored by my orthodontist and dentist for 3 1/2 years. a month ago, my tongue swelled up and became painful. i went to the dentist and he had me swish with salt water for a week. when nothing improved (it actually got worse) i was sent to an oral pathologist who proceeded to freak out. i now have stage 3 oral cancer and will lose half of my tongue in one month. it's very frustrating to me that the professional dental community would over look this in people under the age of 40 (i'm 26). i have made it my vow to get out there and educate as many dental related workers as possible to prevent this from happening again. i also just read that the american dental association is going to start a tv campaign to educate more people about oral cancer. hopefully, if people like us start making a lot of noise, they will listen.

keep you head up....i know the frustration of waiting for the results....it really stinks. stay positive because once they have a true diagnosis they can start treating it asap.

nettypoho.... Now you and I are more in agreement. Too many dentists are not screening for and diagnosing oral cancer. Any dentist who watched a chronic sore on your tongue for this long without determining its cause and correcting the situation is negligent in my opinion. There is simply no excuse for this to happen. A simple brush biopsy early in the process would have given you a definitive diagnosis at probably a much earlier stage. The minimum he or she should have done is to refer you to someone else who could do the biopsy and give you a firm diagnosis. This is a real problem in dentistry today. As to the ADA, remember that they are an organization whose charter is to represent the interests of their members. That in a nutshell is dentists and not the public. They have not done enough to push their membership to do the screenings necessary to reduce the death rate from this disease. The recent 2.5 million dollar campaign with the ADA logo in the corner of the billboards etc. to make the American public more aware of oral cancer was actually paid for by OralScan labs. My guess is that if OralScan had not put up the money for the program the ADA would have done what they have done for the last 50 years..... essentially nothing of consequence.

Wow. I just got seemingly good news and both of your recent posts STILL made me cry. Your caring is unbelievably appreciated.

So, I called today for my results and found out that I simply have mucositis, which I guess is a good thing. I'm still going to visit with my doctor to urge him to test out that node (per your recommendation) but wanted to post and thank you for your kind words. Even though it looks like I might be OK, the knowledge that this website existed, and my lurks into its rooms, gave me great comfort over the past week. Best of luck to all of you -- I'll be thinking of you.

It's always nice NOT to find a new member of our oral cancer community. I'm glad that you received good news. Now before you go and get that node FNB, here are a few questions to ask. If it is just mucositis, how did the doctor make that determination? For me, what I would want (besides his experience and expert opinion) would be a simple 3-minute brush biopsy of the area in question. This will cost between 40 and 70 dollars and is the only DEFINITIVE way to rule out the really bad stuff, and you'll have an answer in about two days. You cannot diagnose cancer without a biopsy. If you have mucositis, what is causing it? If you have this big swollen node in your neck, what is causing that? Certainly not mucositis. Nodes that swell up are either representative of a significant infection (ear, tooth abscess etc.), and those make it sore and painful, or the bad things like the big "C" which cause it to swell up usually without associated pain . You need to know why it is there. While I believe there are plenty of competent doctors out there who can diagnose mucositis and differentiate it from other things, mucositis is a symptom and not a disease. You need to fully understand why it and the node are acting up. Ask a few more questions. Then we'll be happy to say goodbye to you!!!

It's always nice NOT to find a new member of our oral cancer community. I'm glad that you received good news. Now before you go and get that node FNB, here are a few questions to ask. If it is just mucositis, how did the doctor make that determination? For me, what I would want (besides his experience and expert opinion) would be a simple 3-minute brush biopsy of the area in question. This will cost between 40 and 70 dollars and is the only DEFINITIVE way to rule out the really bad stuff, and you'll have an answer in about two days. You cannot diagnose cancer without a biopsy. If you have mucositis, what is causing it? If you have this big swollen node in your neck, what is causing that? Certainly not mucositis. Nodes that swell up are either representative of a significant infection (ear, tooth abscess etc.), and those make it sore and painful, or the bad things like the big "C" which cause it to swell up usually without associated pain . You need to know why it is there. While I believe there are plenty of competent doctors out there who can diagnose mucositis and differentiate it from other things, mucositis is a symptom and not a disease. You need to fully understand why it and the node are acting up. Ask a few more questions. Then we'll be happy to say goodbye to you!!!

Thanks Brian, glad I checked back. I printed your post and will make sure to address these questions with my Dr. I have an appointment on Monday. Will let you know. In the meantime, take care.