Chuck...........Gary is right. The floor of my mouth and tongue were full of cancer and I had no pain and no lymphnode involvement what so ever. I was 34 when first diagnosed with tongue cancer and it took me a Family MD, office visit, a visit to both a dentist and an oral surgeon who put me on antibiotics and told me "to watch "it" for a few months" and a couple of more Doctor visits before they finally did the biopsy and discovered ......'by gosh it is cancer." They didn't take me seriously either because I didn't fit the profile. Thankfully the first time around I was lucky and they only had to remove a tiny section of tongue and since there was NO lympnode involvement I didn't have to concern myself with RAD or chemo. I was lucky back then, diagnosed in Nov'89 and surgery Jan 2, 1990. Seven years later I had a recurrence and wasn't so lucky. Lost over two-thirds of my tongue and suffered though a treatment of RAD and chemo.

You are your own best advocate. Make an appointment with an ENT, have him/her biopsy the lesion or lump and be done with it. A biopsy is not that painful nor does the pain last that long. Eating and chewing are nomal after afew days and if it isn't cancer you'll be back to normal in a few days. The only way a Doctor can give a cancer diagnoses is by a biopsy and reading the path report. I encourage you to move forward in this direction, if for nothing else, a peace of mind.

A good rule of thumb/tongue: ANYTHING ...lump, sore, lesion, funny color.......should be looked at and biopsied if it has been in the oral caviity more than two weeks and especially if an anti biotic has been used and isn't working. Too many of us didn't fit the 'profile' and let things go on too long. Don't let that happen you you. Make your appointment with an ENT....a GOOD Ears,Nose and Throat Doctor, and do it today. I know that sometimes it is very difficult to get an immediate appointment but if you explain your situation perhaps they will get you in right away rather than making you wait.

Good Luck, Chuck, and let us know what is happening.

Sincerely
Donna