Lee - Don't wait!! You need to get your mouth looked at by by someone familiar with Oral Cancer. My son waited and kept putting off getting to the dentist until he had a big lump under his tongue and it started hurting. Luckily his dentist sent him to an Oral Surgeon right away. Often the symptoms don't cause any pain and you can't use the reason of no pain not to get it checked out. Start by telling your Mom what's going on inside your mouth and that you are afraid it could be oral cancer. Tell her you've been looking up info on the net and OCF and ask her to go with you to a dentist that knows about Oral Cancer. Maybe you could also look up a good dentist and find out if they are experienced in Oral Cancer. She will be proud that you were responsible enough to get all the information about your health. Then, if she asks you if you've been smoking, tell her you have quit (and REALLY quit before you tell her!!). First, she will be very worried about the cancer, then she will be happy you quit smoking and glad you got all the information. If your Mom goes ballistic about what you've been doing, just listen and take whatever you have coming like the responsible person you are. It's a small price to pay for getting your health (and maybe your life) back!


Anne-Marie
CG to son, Paul (age 33, non-smoker) SCC Stage 2, Surgery 9/21/06, 1/6 tongue Rt.side removed, +48 lymph nodes neck. IMRTx28 completed 12/19/06. CT scan 7/8/10 Cancer-free! ("spot" on lung from scar tissue related to Pneumonia.)