Penny I do completely understand where you are coming from. I know how hard it is to think you have a serious illness and feel like you arent being heard by anyone you go to for help. Symptoms for oral cancer do not usually come and go so thats a good sign.

You need to do yourself a HUGE favor and RELAX!!!!! I am not discounting your symptoms and do believe you think you really have something seriously wrong. I dont know if you do or not, this is over the internet and I am not a medical professional. I have just seen 4000 members join this forum after me and sadly the majority of them have fought long hard battles with oral cancer.

If you do have cancer then you need to get diagnosed and treated. Now I will be blunt with you. It is IMPERATIVE for your well being that you find yourself a qualified doctor who will give you a thorough exam and a biopsy if necessary. You need to get concrete evidence of a YES or NO. A biopsy will do this. It is not about money, you cant put a price tag on your health. By delaying to get diagnosed you could make it much harder to treat if it is cancer. I am a strong believer that a persons mind can play tricks on them and when a person dwells on problems and worries constantly, they have the capability to make themselves very ill. I am not saying this is the case with you. I am simply saying that you worrying will NOT help you one bit, it wont change any test results or help you figure your next move. All worrying will do is make you more upset. When people get upset they sometimes get paralyzed by fear and worry making them unable to think clearly and make important decisions or not take necessary actions. You need to get your head together and find yourself a qualified doctor who will listen to you and give you a biopsy. I dont know your area so Im sorry I cant refer you to anyone for help. If you dont have insurance and cant afford this then do something to get yourself help. There are programs the government runs which will help low income people who dont have insurance. Sitting around worrying and feeling sorry for yourself will not help. As an adult you need to help yourself. I hope you have quit smoking by now. It is a very expensive habit and all that money spent on cigarettes could be used for your biopsy. Cigarettes could be irritating your delicate oral membranes and causing all of this. Try rinsing your mouth several times per day with 16 oz warm water, 2 tsp baking soda and 2 tsp salt. Swish this around for several seconds then spit it out, repeat at least 5 times per day. Don not use mouthwash that contains alcohol (most do).

I am NOT trying to give you a hard time. I really do care what happens to each and every person who comes here afraid and not knowing which way to turn. I dont wish any of this on my worst enemy. I hope you have nothing seriously wrong. I really hope with all my heart that you do not need to be here on a website for people with oral cancer. Please feel free to come here for help. We will continue to try to point you in the right direction.

Please relax and tomorrow get back to work finding some help.