Kyle,

Welcome -- as you're finding out, you have plenty of company here. My diagnosis also sounded similar to yours in some respects: I was 39, didn't have the obvious risk factors, and was caught totally off-guard when I found out I had this disease.

Fortunately, my oral surgeon was much like your second doctor -- he knew enough to hold off on any significant surgery until he could get biopsy results first and then involve a head and neck cancer team ASAP to recommend the course of treatment.

Keep coming back here as often as you want with questions and concerns, as there will almost always be someone here who has been through what you're experiencing. Also, continue to arm yourself with the wealth of background information from this site that will help you ask the right questions of your doctors.

Cathy