Hello all,

I'm a 22 year old male. I smoked 2 packs a week for about 2 years (19-21) and quit about a year ago.

I'm also a Marine and in a training environment where seeking a thorough medical examination requires jumping through a bunch of hoops and missing out on some important training. Hence my reluctance for the past few months to get the following issue checked out. Wanted some advice on whether I should see a doc ASAP or wait it out another 2 months until I'm out of my current school:

About four months ago I noticed a small deformity on my inner mandible with my tongue. It's on the left side, maybe an inch below where my bottom teeth meet the gum. The best way I can describe it is a small crater that rises into a small lump. it started out extremely small; over the past four months it has grown, but not very much. I would estimate that it's less than 1cm across but greater than .5cm. It's completely painless.

About two to three weeks ago, I started getting seriously concerned about the issue, since I smoked for two years I figured I'd be at risk for mouth cancer. I did some research, saw that swollen lymph nodes were a possible sign of mouth cancer, and checked to see if I could feel them.

Sure enough, I could feel them if I felt around the area under my jaw a bit. They aren't bulging out of my neck, but they are clearly there, and approximately pea sized. On the side with the bump there's two pea-sized bumps, and on the other side there's just one.

Is this something I should get checked out ASAP, even while in training, or am I just being paranoid?