Please do not let this doctor's ineffeciancy turn you away from seeking more information. A large part of my brother's problem was denial. It's the natural thing to want to push it to the back of your mind and not worry about it. I recently found out my brother was told he had precancerous areas in his mouth when he was 18 - his solution? He never went to the dentist again, until they removed his teeth to begin radiation. Talk about denial. They may be nothing, but stay on top of it, now and with regular checkups in the future no matter what the outcome. It's better to be safe than sorry. As for feeling it isn't deserved...my brother did a lot of things "wrong", he chewed tobacco from the age of 2 (my parents thought it was cute), he drank alot of beer, he did not have regular dental checkups, etc. He literally did almost EVERYTHING on the check list of what can cause oral cancer, but all that said, he didn't deserve this disease. I say that not to imply he shouldn't be responsible for his actions and decisions, but because this is such a painful, devastating, horrific disease. Although I have only been around a couple of different kind of cancer, this has got to be one of the most vicious ones out there. No one deserves even a day of this disease. Of course I understand your frustration. I've said this before, but sometimes I have to remind myself, it rains on the just and the unjust alike. Please take care of yourself while this is just a little shower and not a full blown storm.
Best of luck,
Tonya


Sister of 32 year-old oral cancer victim. Our battle is over but the war rages on. My brother passed July 26, 2005. He was a smokeless tobacco user.