Thank you Fishmanpa,

I'm really appreciative that people have been honest with me and admitted that some of my symptoms DO sound concerning, but it's nice to be reassured that perhaps things aren't as bad as I think they are either.

I will keep checking back in here and update you with my progress. It's a sad fact that my health concerns have, in some ways, become my 'project'. I have had so many blood tests that it's a wonder I have any blood left and every time another comes back clear, I feel that maybe I can be content to just watch and wait to see if these things go away. But then I panic and imagine that the longer I wait, the more the cancer will spread and the whole thing starts over again. I just can't sit still...

Thank you to everyone who has responded and offered advice and reassurance so far. I have never come across a more friendly and informative forum

Save your money and skip getting blood tests. Get a biopsy and find out whats going on.

I agree with Christine. It is not going to show up on a blood test. When Kevin's lymph nodes were large they were hard as a rock and didn't move at all. That being said...we went around and around with different doctor's from the middle of April to July when we were finally diagnosed. You have to be your own advocate. If you don't get satisfaction in one place, move on. The place you need to be is at an ENT. I wouldn't waste anymore time and money on dentists...or blood tests! Kevin's blood tests were completely normal and he was stage IV.
Keep in touch.
Kathy

Ditto what kP and Christine said hugs

I was 25 when diagnosed with HPV + tonsil / base of tongue cancer, so it can happen although its quite rare for our age.

My only symptom was a painless large hard lymph node that was moveable. The docs actually said that being movable was a good thing. You can search for my history but my neck was first checked out with an ultrasound and then an ultrasound guided core biopsy was taken which resulted in a diagnosis. As others have said, get a biopsy and hopefully get the good news that it is not cancerous. It can be hard when you are in a low risk group to get a diagnosis ehen you have something as it is dismissed by your doctors. Keep it up until you get answers. Good luck!

Thank you all.

I am going to skip the dentists and get myself to the doctors again. Unfortunately earliest appointment I can get is next week. I've found a list of guidelines for mouth cancer referral so will bring that in and go through it with my doctor. Hopefully when she sees that I actually fit quite a lot of the criteria, she'll take me more seriously.

Andrew L, out of interest, where was your lymph node located? All of mine are sort of around the back of my neck/shoulder region. Are there are any group of nodes that are known to be enlarged with BOT/tonsil cancer?

I was also thinking of trying to get myself a neck ultrasound/CT scan. Do you think that would help? If I had a tumor in my tonsils or at the base of my tongue, would it show up on this?

Like I said, am in UK and cannot go to ENT unless a primary care physician refers me there and even once I get referred, it might take weeks of waiting until I get an appointment and then even longer until I'm diagnosed. Perhaps if I bypass the referral bit and prove that there IS something there that needs checking out, everything will move a little more quickly.

What do you guys think?

Christine has already told you to go for a biopsy. Do what you have to, but get them to relent and do one. For complete peace of mind maybe you need to have each enlarged lymph node and each tongue "wart" biopsied separately. In the UK's socialized medicine system I imagine they will argue against multiple biopsies for medical reasons, but excessive costs to the system versus the perceived diagnostic benefit are more likely the reason. Therefore, you may have to offer to pay for them yourself if that is even possible. I can't imagine they will be cheap. How much money are you willing to spend to rule out cancer?

When/if results come back positive you will have your answer, but I promise you, that's an answer you don't want to hear.

What if the results come back negative for cancer. Are you going to be satisfied then? Asked a different way, what will it take for you to be convinced you don't have cancer?

I'm sure what you really want is for all lymph nodes to go back to normal size and feel and for tongue warts and all other symptoms to simply go away. It just sounds to me like having no other identification you have convinced yourself it's cancer.

I hope this hasn't come across as harsh and insensitive. It certainly isn't my intention. This group is very generous and supportive, something you have already noticed. Are you also looking for other non-cancer forums to explore possible causes of your symptoms. If not, maybe you should.

I have an oral infection that isn't bacterial in nature, so no antibiotics will cure it. I've discussed it with multiple medical personnel and all of them tell me to just wait it out. But that doesn't help me at all as it's several weeks old and seems to not be getting any better, it is painful and radiation starts in less than a week. Now, I can lay there all night long and get no sleep worrying about it, or I can look for yet another doctor to go see, or I can trust the combined opinion of all the doctors I've already seen that they know what they are talking about. I have chosen the 3rd alternative.

Do you need to be considering this 3rd alternative too?

As said before my intent is not to offend. But, if I have done it anyway, please accept my apologies.

Good luck LT

Again...Go get biopsied and then you will know for certain what you are dealing with.

The rule goes like this.... Any sore you have inside your mouth for over 2 or 3 weeks needs to be checked by a professional. By professional, I mean an oral surgeon or ENT who mainly treats oral cancer patients.

Ditto what everyone has said. A tumor in the tonsil area or base of tongue will show up on a CT / MRI but so do many other things. it is NON specific. Though it would tell an ENT where to look. Only a biopsy is a definitive dx. Sometimes cancer can exist but be too small to pick up on a scan as well. Best ask for a biopsy. From a qualified ENT. best of luck.