If anything at this point was a serious cause for concern, they would be all over it.

After the second round of antibiotics and no change in the glands, I had a CT done which confirmed the issue. At my visit with the first ENT, he did a scope and thorough exam. I asked him to be straight up. He looked me in the eyes and said he thought it was cancer. He didn't know what type but had seen enough through the years to be sure it was. He said if he was wrong he would be very happy to admit it. He did a fine needle biopsy and I got confirmation the following week.

From everything you've described, it would seem that there is no reason to be alarmed. I'm sure your ENT will confirm that.

Positive thoughts and prayers. Let us know what they say!

"T"

[quote=fishmanpa]If anything at this point was a serious cause for concern, they would be all over it.

After the second round of antibiotics and no change in the glands, I had a CT done which confirmed the issue. At my visit with the first ENT, he did a scope and thorough exam. I asked him to be straight up. He looked me in the eyes and said he thought it was cancer. He didn't know what type but had seen enough through the years to be sure it was. He said if he was wrong he would be very happy to admit it. He did a fine needle biopsy and I got confirmation the following week.

From everything you've described, it would seem that there is no reason to be alarmed. I'm sure your ENT will confirm that.

Positive thoughts and prayers. Let us know what they say!

"T"

[/quote]

Thank you for your concerns.

I have visited the ENT after taking the ultrasound scan. Both the ENT and the radiologist reassured me that there is nothing of worry. The radiologist measured my lymph nodes and found them to be at a good size, just slightly inflamed. The ENT said that i am actually less swollen than 2 weeks ago.

Both doctors said that some inflammations which are viral in nature can take a long time to heal. Also, due to the fact that i have recently had oral surgery to fix my teeth, i get pains all over my mouth/jawbone/tongue which is another reason that i have been concerned with all these pains coming in and then going.

My gf suggests that to be sure, i should have a blood test and if i don't feel better soon, i may go ahead and have a fine needle biopsy right after i move to the UK.

I understand that it may be considered by the community that my concerns are premature and that i am going through a hypochodriac phase but i am going through the scare none the less and being proactive can save your life in the long run.

While going through my concerns i realized that cancer patients are nothing less than fearless warriors and i have developed a unique respect to all of you that i will carry onward in my life.

I will be closely monitoring my symptoms until they are gone(or not)and i will update here with any news.

Best of luck everyone

Ath

Why a blood test? Oral cancer will not show up on a blood test. Plus your symptoms are irregular which isnt how oral cancer usually presents itself.

Sounds to me like the oral surgery has something to do with your symptoms.

Using tobacco can hinder heeling so that could be part of why you havent heeled quickly. Glad to hear you have now stopped using tobacco.

I hope you feel better very soon!

A biopsy by way of a fine needle aspiration will most likely provide the proof either way.

I too had a painless swollen node (2 in fact) and I was put on antibiotics and after the first course where they decreased in size by 1/2 a well known cancer doc SHOOK MY HANDS while saying to me "Congratulations you don't have cancer!" Next doc was an ENT who did a FNA and BAM, Stage IV SCC.

I too had a painless swollen lymph node that seem to decrease with antibiotics. I had 2 rounds of antibiotics,blood tests, X-rays, CAT scan, fine needle biopsy, and a scope all were inconclusive, the blood test showed nothing to be alarmed about. It wasn't until they put me under to do a frozen biopsy the surgeon discovered (visually, before the biopsy result were back) stage IV tonsil cancer with mets. I still wonder how the surgeon could tell me it was cancer by looking at it and all the other test were inconclusive. Granted its very rare in my age, I just don't think they were thinking cancer.
But that being said, all my tests were inconclusive, knowing now I would have pushed harder for an answer instead of waiting patiently for the next test to be done as months slipped by.
I guess what I am saying is until you have an answer keep asking.

davidcpa and rosymonroe

How swollen were your lymph nodes before taking antibiotics and where were they located? Also, were they visible and how fast did they grow?

I had 2 laryngoscopies by 2 separate ENT's who said my throat looks clean. Also, when the radiologist did an ultrasound he measured my lymph nodes and said they are normal sized. I have been touching them a lot so my impression of "swollen" may have been "irritated" instead.

rosymonroe, was your tonsil swollen at the time you had the biopsy where the doctor visually confirmed your cancer? Can you describe your Jaw pain?

I first noticed my totally painless "lump" on the left side of my neck while shaving. I waited about another month before I pointed it out to my wife. No one had noticed it before then but when I showed my wife she went ballistic and yelled "My God you got golf balls in there." Were it not for her I don't think I would be posting today!

My lump began in November 2012, I would say it was about 3/4 of a golf ball size the majority of the time until after the biopsy in January 2013, I am not sure what the biopsy did but after that it grew much larger faster, if I turned my head to the side it was visible. The needle biopsy was inconclusive, I am not sure if that was because they did not get a good sample or what, I do remember somethings that were said between the nurse and the DR at the time of the biopsy and I got the impression she didn't know what to mix with the sample and he was frustrated, I didn't feel real strong about the way it was done and wasn't surprised when I didn't get a definitive answer from the results. The lump itself was not painful, my jaw and ear had an off and on ache, it would get pretty bad at times, it was bad enough I needed some pain relief to make it thru some days. That began October 2012, I remember because it was a weekend and I actually missed watching one of the major college football games to go to the urgent care for the pain (that is pretty severe pain for me). At that time I was diagnosed with TMJ and told to wear a mouth guard at night and stop grinding my teeth. HA! He did look in my throat and said it had a "few spots on in and the tonsil was little swollen" and he gave me some antibiotics if I wanted to take them. Another thing I have often wondered about, the last year or so before my surgery I had begun having terrible sleep apnea and snoring, since my surgery and the removal of my tonsils I barely snore at all, I often wonder how long the cancer was on my tonsil, by the time they removed it it was (I believe he said) almost 4 cm. The surgeon removed both of my tonsils, 2 lymph node, and the cancer had spread to surrounding my carotid artery and was attached a nerve from my shoulder, he thought I would have difficulty with that shoulder because he actually had to pick it off the nerve.
The surgeon told my family after surgery (I listened later because they recorded it) That once he got in there it was obvious to him by the way it looked and felt the tonsil was cancer and the primary source. Maybe he had a better view of it than the scope, I don't know. I do know that along my journey there were several red flags that my Dr and I dismissed, I dismissed because I was a 38 year old female, we don't get throat cancer!! And I have been so healthy my whole life, never a broken bone, surgery, hospital stay, I had never even had an IV till this! So that's my story, most of it I have 1.5 weeks of tx left and I will take it from there.
As I said before the lesson I learned is pay attention to things going on in your body and keep asking questions until you get answers. Statistics don't mean a thing, all they mean is some people have cancer some don't.

From what i read in your posts, it seems that my symptoms are not quite consistent throughout time for me or the ENTs to link to anything other than an infection, which itself is not confirmed either, that's why i'm baffled...

It all started with getting sick (swollen tonsils, trouble swallowing, nausea) which lasted for around 2 days
-Then occasionally a small discomfort swallowing saliva, no pain
-Then that went away and i got a mild sore throat when swallowing
-Then the pain went away and i got clicking in the throat when swallowing
- Then the mild pain came back with some jaw pain, comes and goes throughout the day, pain disappears with 2 panadol(paracetamol)

All this throughout the span of 4+ months

From what rosymonroe and davidcpa mention, there was a lump around 3/4 the size of a gold ball. I have not had anything close to that. I had to actually push my finger on my neck to feel my nodes, i just had the impression they are irritated but are not visible at all when i turn my neck.

I have been checking the back of my throat and tonsils but i see no swelling and feel no tonsil pain, or at least i cant locate the pain to be on the tonsil.

If there was a possibility of tonsil cancer, would it be more obvious by now? Would the scope laryngoscopy+ultrasound detect it? Also, if i would decide to have a FNA, where would the sample be taken from, in this case?

My scope, CAT scan, and X-ray, and FNB were all inconclusive. You said your doctors told you there was nothing to worry about right? That is a big difference, my doctors never told me not to worry, they just never mentioned cancer but couldn't figure out what was going on (although infected lymph node was mentioned a few times in the beginning) until the surgery for the frozen biopsy, which is exactly why I had that surgery, if they could have figured out what was going on before I would not have had the surgery.
As far as tonsil cancer being more obvious, I wouldn't know, 4 doctors looked in my throat and it was never mentioned until the surgeon opened me up.
I'm not a doctor, I don't know. I think I was just trying to say keep pushing until you get an answer. Perhaps them saying it nothing to worry about is answer enough.
I have been seeing on this site that certain dentist screen for oral cancer. My mother said hers does and its my understanding that it is a light they can shine in your mouth (someone please correct me if I am wrong).
I know after this whole ordeal I will be finding a dentist that screens for OC and I won't go to one that doesn't. Maybe that is something you could look into to help put your mind at rest.