Im so glad to see this update! I knew you could do it! Im so happy you finally found a way to get the biopsy. Now lets just hope it turns out to be noncancerous!!! Please keep us posted. If you get the biopsy it will be about a week before the results come back. Plan to keep yourself very busy so your mind wont make you worry too much. Great job at becoming your own advocate, I knew you could do it!!!!

praying for the best!

The visit to the oral surgeon went well. He said that he didn't think that my ulcer looked or felt like cancer, but that he also didn't have an explanation for what else it might be. He went ahead and did an incisional (I believe) biopsy removing the lesion and some of the surrounding swollen tissue.

It was a quick, ten minute procedure but I wasn't expecting him to do it immediately so I didn't eat before I went . I was told the results will take about a week to come in and I have an appointment on 2/20 to discuss the results. They said if the results are in sooner they will try to get me in sooner.

Hi, Penny
glad the appointment went smoothly and that the biopsy is done and off for assessment. Try to keep busy while you are waiting for the results.

Great job! I hope you feel a little better now that a professional gave you their opinion but also took the extra step to find out for sure if it was cancerous. Best wishes with your mouth to heal quickly.

Howdy,

Just thought I'd pop in for an update. Unfortunately I haven't heard anything back from the surgeon yet, but I do have some alright news.

While my symptoms are not completely gone, they have significantly dissipated since the biopsy, as has my extreme anxiety. I know most people go crazy waiting for the results, but for some reason just having the biopsy seems to have given me a great deal of relief. That is not to say that I am out of the woods, but I am no longer a basket case over the situation. I now wonder if my anxiety wasn't so bad that it enhanced my symptoms immensely. Or perhaps the anti-biotics played a hand in improving my condition. Either way I am thankful for every day that I do not have terrifying symptoms.

I am still a bit anxious to get the results, of course, but I think having someone finally take me seriously enough to run a test is what has helped calm me down. I was so scared that I'd never get to find out one way or the other and possibly do something about it. Now that things are rolling I feel a lot less out of control.

I hope everyone is well and I will let you know what the deal is after I get the results.

Penny, I am so happy that you have calmed down. Im even happier that your mouth issues seem to be healing. I bet you feel so relieved, like the weight of the world is off your shoulders. Stress can wreck havoc on a person's physical and mental well being. Please stop back in and let us know when you get your results. It should be any day now. Good luck!!!!

So glad you got some relief - just try to keep yourself occupied until your appointment and good luck!

Well, I just got back from the oral surgeon and I have my biopsy results. The most important part of the report for me, which I made them give me a copy of, was the part that said "THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF MALIGNANCY".

When the doctor told me the news, he said I didn't look very excited about it. The truth is I'm unbelievably relieved, but still have no explanation for my other symptoms. I was expecting to hear the worst, though, so having not heard bad things is fantastic.

The biopsy site is healing nicely and looks much better than it did before. However, I still have redness and swelling behind my ears, random lumps around my mouth and face, and an area of thickening on my left cheek. I'm not one to dwell on things, and typically assume the best rather than the worst when it comes to my health because I have never much cared for doctor visits. However, we all know when something isn't right, and it is clear that something is up. I will celebrate for now definitely, but I will have to find a doctor who can help me find out what IS going on.

For anyone who is interested or has any input, here are the details of the report:

The biopsy was taken from the right buccal mucosa

They received a gray-tan nodule of soft tissue measuring 6x6x4mm. The specimen is trisected and entirely submitted.

Hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections reveal three similar mucosal segments showing:

-a raised vaguely nodular mass of fibrocollagenous connective tissue containing a mild chronic inflammatory infiltrate (primarily lymphocytes and a few plasma cells and mast cells)

-exposed surfaces covered by stratified squamous epithelium with mild hyperparakeratosis and basilar hyperplasia

-unremarkable skeletal muscle bundles and mucous glands at the surgical base

Histopathologic Diagnosis: Fibroma (irritation fibrosis, focal fibrous hyperplasia)

I don't expect any of you to spend time trying to interpret that for me, I am just sharing what was said and if anyone has heard of any of this I wouldn't mind commentary.

Again, I really appreciate all of your support and will continue to keep you updated as I continue trying to determine what is happening. If nothing else, maybe it will be helpful to someone else who has concerns about similar issues.

Thanks again, and I really do wish you all the best in your journeys. I've read so much about all of you and I feel like I know you now, even though I couldn't possibly know what you're going through. Your experiences as well as my own are a constant reminder that every day is indeed a blessing and we should all treat it as such, no matter our condition.

You have some kind of irritation going on that may be causing this... Any ideas?