Hello,

I understand the limitations of this board, that a diagnosis is impossible to expect over the internet, but seeing as I'm a couple of days away from another appointment, I thought I'd ask.

I'm a 20 year male student. I have noticed a small lump (flesh colored, relatively), I would almost say abscess, above my right lingual tonsil. The area where the tongue meets the back of the mouth. It's painless and I just spotted it a couple of days ago. I didn't wait the fourteen or five days to go check it out, I'm assuming it's nothing, but...

In total, I've smoked around a year or so. Sporadically, a month or weeks would go by, not a heavy user. I have been sick for the past month. First with a stomach flu, then with a cold which has been exacerbated by allergies. I went into a doctor on Friday about my cold and asked questions about the health of my mouth. I asked her if everything looked okay, if the coloration in my mouth was fine, she said yes. She also said my tonsils looked good, I'm assuming my lingual tonsils (my palatine tonsils were removed when I was younger). I digress, she didn't mention the lump but I (incorrectly?) assumed she saw it. She did ask me about my geographic tongue, but that's not an issue.

I was diagnosed with a viral infection and for me to simply get rest and take allergy medicine, to avoid excess drainage. I cannot tell if my difficulty swallowing is from drainage or the minor lump. I'm going to schedule another appointment tonight, but I'm wrecked with worry. I had another cancer scare earlier in my semester where I thought an area on my gums was cancerous. Apparently, it was caused by me grinding my teeth at night.

In short, I have a dentist appointment in a couple of weeks and will go into see a doctor as soon as possible. I know it's rare for a person in my age range, even with tobacco use, but I'm terribly upset. My roommate is a former nurse and told me what is normally associated with oral cancer, that I don't fit the general guidelines.

Should I wait until my cold to clear up? Wait and see my dentist in December? Would it be wise to go back to the school infirmary and see another doctor or seek a specialist? I'm not really sure what I should do, any advice would help.

Thanks,

Louis