Hi im Darren im a 29 year old guy, 10 stone and a half ( always been skinny). About approximately 12 weeks ago i went to my doctor because this irritating red patchy occurrence inside my mouth on my cheeks, it had and has white lines, whiteness in it too. It was on both side but now only on right side of my cheek and left side has disappeared. Smoking seems too irritate it and it becomes lumpy if thats the correct word. I have cut back the smoking and im trying to stop. Anyways the doctor said he thought it was possibly lichen planus and referred me to hospital. 2 weeks later i visited the hosptial and she looked at it and didn't say an awful lot about it and wasn't as concerned as i would have expected but instead looked under my tongue and on the part that joins underside of tongue to bottom of mouth ( I don't know name sorry) she found a little white patch and immediately she became concerned about it and said that under tongue is high risk area for oral cancer etc and that she wanted me too have a biopsy and that she would perform biopsy on cheek also, she said she is going to remove the white patch underneath tongue. I have been waiting 8 weeks and finally received an appointment which is for next Monday then i will have too wait for results obviously. I worry a lot about things in general anyways and have had depression in the past, anemia, IBS. Im just so scared and worried and just want some friendly opinions as to what other things it might be and if there is big odds that it may be cancer. I have looked at the site in my mouth for 8 weeks and the white patch is very small, there is a lot of redness there, i dont know how common that is for smokers, and there is a slight little white/red bit on side of tounge too. I hope i dont sound stupid im just so scared.

Thanks

Darren,

First let's stop with the worry brother all that does is ruin whatever time we may have on this earth. It could be a number of different things as there are several conditions that can cause issues in our mouth and not necessarily cancer. I would say though that there is a possibility that it may be in fact cancer as you have risk factors so prepare your mind for whatever news may come.

Realize however that cancer isn't an automatic death sentence and that the survivors on these forums are living examples that this disease can be overcome and life afterwards can be great. My advice is to focus on breathing and enjoying the moment you're in. I don't understand the 8 week waiting period for biopsy results and can see where the waiting is torture. Be your own advocate there and don't be afraid to start getting on the phone and getting answers. If it is cancer, time is of the essence.

Keep us updated, use this site to vent and get advice as it's what we are here for. You don't sound stupid at all and the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

Keep your chin up mate,

Eric

Darren, welcome to OCF. First off, you do NOT sound stupid! We are here to help you and give you info and support. I know you are worried and scared that you have cancer. Its very scary going thru all the waiting. Only thru a biopsy can the doc tell for certain if it is cancer or not. Over the internet we cant even guess at any statistics.

One thing for sure, smoking is NOT helping your situation. I am a former smoker so I know. I quit cold turkey, threw the cigs right out the window while I was on the way for a feeding tube consult. I smoked for 20+ years so its not like I had recently started. Do yourself a big favor and quit NOW! If you have waited for 3 months for this procedure, then you could have quit during that time. Im not trying to give you a hard time. Tobacco has many chemicals in it that are irritating your mouth. Dont make things worse by continuing to put that poison into your system.

Best wishes with your procedure on Monday. It will probably be another week before you get the results. Try to keep yourself busy so you dont worry so much. Worrying wont help, it will just make you more upset. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Good luck!!!!

[quote=EricS]Darren,

First let's stop with the worry brother all that does is ruin whatever time we may have on this earth. It could be a number of different things as there are several conditions that can cause issues in our mouth and not necessarily cancer. I would say though that there is a possibility that it may be in fact cancer as you have risk factors so prepare your mind for whatever news may come.

Realize however that cancer isn't an automatic death sentence and that the survivors on these forums are living examples that this disease can be overcome and life afterwards can be great. My advice is to focus on breathing and enjoying the moment you're in. I don't understand the 8 week waiting period for biopsy results and can see where the waiting is torture. Be your own advocate there and don't be afraid to start getting on the phone and getting answers. If it is cancer, time is of the essence.

Keep us updated, use this site to vent and get advice as it's what we are here for. You don't sound stupid at all and the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

Keep your chin up mate,

Eric [/quote]

Hi Eric and thanks for responding. I try to stop worrying as best i can by doing things i enjoy i really do but it's like it's stuck in my mind constantly. It wasnt an 8 week wait for results it's been 8 week wait for the actual biopsy to be done which is about to happen this coming monday, then i will have too wait for the results. I pray every day that i will be ok and i hope i am. Thanks again

[quote=ChristineB]Darren, welcome to OCF. First off, you do NOT sound stupid! We are here to help you and give you info and support. I know you are worried and scared that you have cancer. Its very scary going thru all the waiting. Only thru a biopsy can the doc tell for certain if it is cancer or not. Over the internet we cant even guess at any statistics.

One thing for sure, smoking is NOT helping your situation. I am a former smoker so I know. I quit cold turkey, threw the cigs right out the window while I was on the way for a feeding tube consult. I smoked for 20+ years so its not like I had recently started. Do yourself a big favor and quit NOW! If you have waited for 3 months for this procedure, then you could have quit during that time. Im not trying to give you a hard time. Tobacco has many chemicals in it that are irritating your mouth. Dont make things worse by continuing to put that poison into your system.

Best wishes with your procedure on Monday. It will probably be another week before you get the results. Try to keep yourself busy so you dont worry so much. Worrying wont help, it will just make you more upset. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Good luck!!!! [/quote]

Hi Christine and thanks also for responding. I must say i have been trying super hard to stop smoking the last 4 days i have been down to 3 cigarettes a day, im hoping to quit fully by the end of this week. Worrying doesn't help i totally agree and it's crazy how much i try to stop worrying but it's like it's the only thought in my head right now. Thanks again i will try to be optimistic.

Stay busy so you dont have time to worry. I know...easier said than done. Clean out your closets, work on the yard or garden, read a book, anything to keep your mind occupied. Pick a day and make it the very last day you will ever smoke. Then throw away everything related to cigarettes, matches, lighters, ashtrays and of course the cigs. You can do it!!!!

We ALL worry. Some of the forum people have LEARNED to not let it overtake every day - there are too many days in your life that you will spend waiting for results (for this or for something else) to just "give over" those days to panic. I speak from experience. This is a learned thing. Do what you can about the things you can, and after that, you HAVE to let it go. If you have done all you can (WHICH YOU HAVE), you now have to let it go. Turn your attention to things you enjoy. When negative thoughts sneak into your mind consciously redirect them.

And, I will echo Christine's suggestion. STOP SMOKING. I too was a smoker and quit about 6 months before I was diagnosed. Obviously not soon enough - but I did. So now you're reading this and wondering how the heck you can quit smoking while you are busy worrying. You can. YOU CAN DO THIS. There is a website called quitnet.com that was a lifeline for me - that and the patch. Regardless of how you quit - it is key that you do - not necessarily for this current concern, but for your long term health. There is absolutely NOT ONE cigarette that I ever smoked that is worth what I have been through. NOT ONE. And, surprisingly, if I had known I COULD quit and not be hiding bodies in my back yard, I would have done it much earlier. I had told myself that I couldn't quit and believe me, if you start with that attitude it will be self -fulfilling. Some people tell me "I could quit smoking and then step out on the street and get hit by a bus....." My reply is that if you don't quit smoking - you KNOW the bus with your name on it is coming.

Good luck and keep posting.

Hugs

Donna