Welcome Mark. 1st let me say you have not thrown away your life. Odds are you will have a great life ahead even if it is (BIG IF) cancer. I had stage 4 cancer on the right tonsil and finished tx 4 1/2 years ago. Aside from dry mouth and being unable to enjoy some of the foods I used to, I am doing great. In fact, I'm looking forward to a back packing trip next week. Also, at your age, unless you were smoking like 3 packs a day, it is probably not (or at least not entirely) tobacco related. Get testd for the HPV virus. Most of all, it bears repeating that it is not cancer til a biopsy says it is, and if it is, it is treatable. The tx is brutal but doable. Bedst of luck.

David R. 65 yr old male non-smoker, light drinker, stage 3 or 4, depending on which doc you ask, scc rt. tonsil, 2 nodes, 7 weeks radiation and chemo. No surgery. Teatment ended 3/20/08. PET scan 8/08 showed no cancer.
And now, as of oct, 2010, caregiver to wife, Linda, with breast cancer.
May, 2013, Linda diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. Enuf already.