hi,
Im concerned with myself dont know whats going on. For a while now over 6 months i have been feeling pain in the back of my tongue going through my neck to a slight pain in the ear i have been to 2 ents each dont see anything that alarms them i have been to a oral surgeon to and he biopseid a red mark in the front of my tongue the results came back tramatic nuerosis he said i bit my tongue. when i went back for results of the biopsy i told him the back of my tongue hurt he looked real fast and said oh its nothing i think he thinks im neurotic but i know it hurts and has been for a while . I went to see another ent who looked towards the back and said he didnt feel anything and i aso want to say it feels like there is something in my neck all doctors feel my neck and say they dont feel anything and there is redness in the back of my tongue . The ent sent me for an mri of my pharnyx and my larnyx to rule out tumors the report came back no abnormalities does any body know of a test to check out whats going on with me thatri couldtell my doctors is there such a thing as an oral ct scan that could check whats going on with my mouth and neck i am 33 years old and have smoked for 16 years since i was 15 to 6 months ago i stopped . if anybody knows anything that could help i would greatly appreciate it. am very worried and in pain for so long that can not be normal thanks take care

Hi Joann,
The MRI is the best way to visualize soft tissue. Your MRI probably included the entire area from the middle of the skull to the shoulders so they were able to view the entire oral cavity. CT's are better for bone, although are also used to visualize tissue. It sounds to me like they have been very thorough and that some other pathology is causing your problems. Most of us have not had any pain at all associated with our cancers. This is one of the reasons why they are typically detected so late. It is good that they did a biopsy and ruled it out. If I were you, I would feel comfortable with the fact that you probably don't have cancer. You shouldn't be in pain either and I would press them to come up with a definitive diagnosis. If it were me I would get a referal to either a head & neck surgeon or another ENT.

It's great that you quit smoking - don't start back up. You really don't want to join our little club.

Joannc,

I'm happy to see that all your tests came back negative. You and I were going through our biopsy wait periods together. A very stressful time...

I'm with Gary. You had all the the usual diagnostic tests for oral cancer and each came back negative. You should feel good about the diagnosis even with the pain. I know, you still have pain. In the back of your head there are all those stories of missed diagnosis... you have an unanswered problem... you really do feel the need to get to the bottom of why it hurts.

After my biopsy finally came back negative I was unsure about my diagnosis. I kept thinking something was missing. 2 biopsies and 19 tissue samples. You think that would be enough... So, I asked my ENT about an MRI and a CT scan. He said exactly what Gary said. MRI for soft tissue and CT for bone. My ENT convinced me that there was no reason to do either of these test at this time. My only solice is that I see my ENT regularly and will continue to do so. If something arises I feel confident that we (me and my ENT) will get to the bottom of it.

You either have to trust your doctor or go to another one. 4 years ago I was diagnosed with SSC of the lower lip. The first ENT I worked with was a real jerk. I consulted with my primary care physician and was quickly referred to a number of other doctors (I had a number of second opinions). I never regretted it.

As you read the OCF lists you will find similiar stories. My current ENT listens to my complaints and works with me, spending as much time as needed until I feel comfortable. In my case, comfort gives way to trust.

Your in my prayers.

SteveS

thanks Gary and Steve for answering and making me feel better . I have been threw so many tests and they all came back ok. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with me . Steve im am very happy that your tests came back negative . Thats great.Gary i am going to make an appointment with another ent and see if i could get an appointment with a head and neck guy. thanks ill let use know how things work out and how there going.