Five years ago ( I am now 42) I bit the crap out of my tongue. A year later I was at the dentist for a cleaning, and she mentions that there is some white tissue on the underside of my tongue. I told her that I had bit my tongue last year and it was scar tissue. She disagreed and recommended I see an ENT to have it looked at. I went to a local ENT, and she said that it appeared to be Oral Lichen Planus. Ok......had no idea what that was! She recomended a biopsy, to rule out cancer,and did not sound like a very fun proposition. Told her I would think about it. The next day I told her that I would make an appointment to have it done the following month. The next day I realized I should not wait. Now I understand that no one likes needles, and blades, and blood and pain, but I am TERRIFIED!!

So I sat in her chair, they needled up my tongue, and proceeded to take 3 samples. I nearly passed out from the ordeal. I could carry my childrens ripped off arm to the doc if I had to, but there is something about seeing parts of myself leaving it!

I waited a couple of days, and the results came back negative. I was sooooooo relieved. I imagined every horrible scenereo that I could face. She recommend I have periodic check ups (6 months), to have her monitor it.I met most of the appointments, but began to slack off. 7 months ago I lost my health insurance, as the premiums continued to go up, while the benifits continued to drop.A story for another forum!!

3 months ago, I began to notice a change in my Oral Lichen Planus. an ulcerated area began to have a tumor look to it. I dismissed it as something that would get better on its own. I did this for two reasons....I no longer had health insurance, and I am a scared little boy!!

Finally, 3 weeks ago I decided I couldnt wait any longer to have it checked. I called her office, and they said she had an opening in the middle of January, I told her that there was a tumor growing on my tongue, and it was sore.....they said they could see me the next day!

The doctor greeted me, and said....lets have a look....after 2 seconds of looking, she said.....we are going to biopsy that. I suspect she knew already! On the 21st of December her office called me.....Mr Anderson.....we have the biopsy results in. I was relieved..... surely they are negative, and we will see you in 6 months! .....Mr Anderson, you have Squamous Cell Carcinoma....Huhhhh.... is that cancer I asked???? Yes sir. We have tentatively scheduled surgery for Jan 4, and the Doc can see you the day before surgery. Unforunately, she has already left town, and will not be back until then. Holy CRAP! This was a Friday as I am driving home from work. I pulled over and cried. I had no idea what this meant. I imagined a slow and painful death, but when? And why??? Non smoker, non drinker!! Why why why why!!

The emotions and events between that day, and the day I met with the doc, would be 50 times as long as this diatribe, so I'll leave that for another day!

By the time I met with her on the 3rd, I had a CT scan, and blood work for surgery......a surgery that I had no clue what included.

Then came the "good" news. The cancer was t1, and her recommendation was to remove it with good margins, and also cut out the rest of the oral lichen planus. She would do a small graft if necessary, from my leg.

Last Friday, I had the surgery to have a section of my infected tongue removed. According to the Doc, it was a best case scenario. She is not recommending radiation, and wants to have frequent follow up, along with a PET scan and some more CT scans throughout the next 12 months.

I am cautiously optimistic, but realize this could be a first step on a long road. My tongue is very ugly right now, but she says it looks exactly as it should at this point. (1 week post-op) I am talking better every day, and she says in two months, should be 100%.After reading many stories on this forum, I do consider myself fortunate.

The tumor was tested for HPV, and it was negative. She believes the OLP is the facilitator for the SCC, which is basically incurable.....so I will always have to monitor, and will never truly feel cured.

Any thoughts and opinion from any members would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Andy