Hi I'm 43 male and socially smoked and drank like a sailor from about 17 to 30. Kept it to the weekends which started on thursday and finished sunday. Smoked enough to transform my mild asthma to a mild chronic bronchitis. Clean living otherwise apart from a fair amount of oral sex partners.

Anyway a month ago a mobile pea like stone appeared in my cheek along the jaw line, went to doc who said it was a salivary stone but get it checked by a surgeon. The wait is 6 months. I had a dentist visit planned and she did an X-ray and maintained it is not a stone but more like a node or cyst. A consultant friend who specialises in lymphoma has taken a look and maintains its not a lymph node. He's arranging to get it biopsied but will take a month or so.

10 days ago I got a sore throat, base of the tongue was sore along with plaques on back of throat and tonsil enlarged. No fever but have a chest infection. Today I still have a sore throat, enlarged tonsil, plaques and yellow fur in parts. Tongue is no longer sore.

Here's the question : considering the stone should I go straight for an ENT appointment or go to my regular doc for antibiotics. The Ent visit will cost an extra $120.
Thanks.
Cruzer.

CK, go to an ENT who specializes in treating oral cancer patients. It may not be anything serious but you should get checked by a professional. If (and that is a huge IF!) it would be oral cancer then antibiotics will not help.

Yes, spend the money to see the ENT. Better safe than sorry where sorry in this case could mean death.

Firstly I tried all the private consultants who all seemed to have at least a two month wait.

I presented at a ENT Hospital A&E today, the young credible intern consultant scoped me for 10 mins covering all the bases and said that the throat was just an infection. He couldn't see any signs of HPV or ulcers of any note. Nothing sinister other than a slightly swollen tonsil which he considered not to be abnormal.

He palpated the neck glands and under the chin for a further 10 mins. The verdict on the pea sized lump was that it was somewhat mobile and those types of lump don't worry them much. He did maintain the Submandibular Gland was hard and in his opinion this can be normal in some. He wants to progress this to a scan and prescribed antibiotics for same. He also noted the throat was generally red and prescribed an acid inhibitor and Diflam spray.

My scan is scheduled for 12/12. A good doctor but I wish he was 20 years older, know what I mean...

The journey continues.

HPV related oral cancers account for 70% Base of Tongue or Tonsilar cancers. Often the only signs are swollen tonsils and lymph nodes, including the submandibular nodes.

I would get the scan at this point

Ditto what eric said take the antibiotics and go for a scan. goodluck!

Due to the heightened concern I had for my health I decided to skip the one month wait and go private for a consultation with a Head of Dept and ENT specialist. He had a look at the throat and mouth but didn't scope.

He also ordered a Neck, Throat and Mouth MRI scan which I had today, the Professor said there is no way the lump on the jaw is Malignant but it has to be removed anyway. Trouble down the road he said.

I'll post the result of the scan, cause I hate those posts where unwell well posttheir story and never come back to update the outcome.

Good! don't wait too long for the results they are usually available within 24 hours. hugs! hope you get an all clear.

Ok the MRI was clear apart from the moveable lump in the jaw which he is referring to as a lesion. He maintained it was a Parotid tumor and was 100% certain it was benign. He did however want it removed which took place today under general anaesthetic.

He has just visited me to let me know the lump that was removed was infact a lymph node and wants to see me in a week.

Hmmmmm.

Interesting... hopefully he will the pathology back on it quickly. I hope it's nothing. Nodes do swell related to illness and infection, and those can highlight on a scan so hopefully it can and will come back negative. take care let us know what happens next week.