Hello everyone. I too am new to this site and am very grateful for having found it! I have been searching the internet for the past few months for any info I could find on tonsilar cancer since I have had undiagnosed symptoms for the past 10 months that are similar to the symptoms of tonsilar cancer. It has been very scary and extremely frustrating to say the least!

I am a non-smoker with history of chronic alcohol abuse (have been sober for 22 months now) and extreme gastric reflux ( 3cm hiatal hernia and have been on omeprazole for 5 years) I also still have my tonsils.

It all started with a sore throat and chronic, dry night time cough 10 months ago that never went away. The cough progressively worsened and has interrupted my sleep every night for the past 6 months. I have also had the feeling of a "hairball" in the back of my throat.

Have been seen by my PCP numerous times, 3 rounds of antibiotics, a thyroid scan (negative), a CAT scan of my neck which showed submillimeter enlarged cervical nodes, otherwise unremarkeable.

Still coughing with sore throat, had to push PCP to refer me to ENT. Went to ENT who felt it could be my reflux and also prescribed a nasal spray??? Returned in 6 weeks for a follow up visit, no better, still with cough and feeling of something in my throat, constant sore throat. He looked in my throat with a flexible tube and felt he didn't see anything. I told him I felt as though I had the symptoms of tonsillar cancer and he asked me "are you afraid of having cancer"????? Really? I couldn't even believe he asked me that!

So, he ordered a sleep study and more nasal spray! By now I am getting very frustrated and took matters into my own hands~ consulted a general surgeon who had treated me in the past.
He ordered an ultrasound of my neck which showed a 1.5cm and a 1.3 cm enlarged lymph node in my neck. Unfortunately, he said because of their location to the carotid artery and jugular vein he would not recommend biopsy.

So, I am now headed to Case University in Cleveland ( Dr. Pierre Lavertu ENT Oncologist) for a 3rd opinion as my symptoms have progressed. I now have numbness and pain on the left side of my face and jaw, ear pain,ringing in my ear, a painful area on the left underside of my tongue as well as an enlarged left tonsil. It is twice the size of the right tonsil. I also have pain in upper and lower back molar areas. My sore throat pain has also gotten worse. The whole left side of my neck, all the way around to the base of my skull is tender as well.

I am truly hoping this could all be due to something other than what I originally thought, but I am so frustrated by the fact that there are still physicians out there who do not listen to their patients symptoms and concerns.

Thank you all for allowing me to post such a long message~ any responses would be greatly appreciated. My appointment is this Tuesday (Election Day!) and I am hoping to get somewhere after all this time. Have a good weekend!

Message boards like this one have lots of posters on them, all with different issues, treatments, complications, concerns, etc. Board admins like everyone to start their own thread and not inject their personal issues into another person's thread of ideas. (Thats's referred to as hijacking a thread).

The reason for this is that people on the board like to "follow" you, get to understand your particular situation, and read what others have offered up to you before they add to your thread. Also a good signature block lets everyone know your situation (this signature evolves and changes as you progress) and keeping your story separate from others keeps it all less confusing to people who wish to help or comment. So it's a simple protocol and you are hardly the first posters to hijack a thread - it is a regular occurrence.

After your thread progresses (if, we hope not, you actually become a patient) you start new threads in the treatment forum, or emotional issues forum, or whatever depending on where you are in the process. Thanks for understanding. It will make everyone who wishes to, to stay abreast of your situation.

Ladies, I went to my family doctor 3 times who said she found nothing, until the 3rd time, when she said it was a canker sore. This was after several months of going to see her. I ultimately ended up with an ENT who confirmed tongue cancer. At that point, the tumour was visible, and growing rapidly.

All I can say is we know our bodies better than anyone else and we know when something is wrong. If you think something is wrong, keep at it. If it turns out you are just paranoid, so be it.

Best of luck that you are just paranoid, but if not we are here.

Hello Ruthanne: I thought I would answer your post so you'll know you're not alone, but probably your post will be moved to the "Introduce Yourself," forum for new users. I just wanted to say that you are not alone as far as doctors ignoring what you tell them and you KNOWING something isn't right. I wish you the best of luck and hope you get good results at Case University. Please let us know. I, also, had to fight with doctors about 6 months in order for them to remove my tonsils, but I hope and pray your outcome is better than mine.
julieann

Ditto what the others have said push ntil you get and answer. Something is Goingnon. Hopefully not cancer but don't stop until, you get an answer. And the problem is solved.