Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
#27313 04-12-2005 11:59 PM
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 25
Dino Offline OP
Contributing Member (25+ posts)
OP Offline
Contributing Member (25+ posts)

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 25
If you read my last post..It will explain the symptoms I have had. Bascially a soft, wiggly growth on the side of my tongue.

On this past Sunday I went to a walk-in and the doctor said it did not appear to be anything. I asked him what he would classify it as and he told me a lesion, that it looked like I may have bit my tongue, but he was not a specialist and advised me to go to an oral surgeon or ENT.

On Monday I went to an ENT and he said it was nothing. He classified it as a tastebud or he said a word pappilia(spelling?). He said it was not a growth and that it was soft, whatever that means? I asked him if it was cancer and he said no. I said are you 100% sure and he said yes. But, he did make a follow up appointment for a month down the road. I said if it is not gone will you biopsy it and he said yes.

Tuesday I went to see my general doctor and she said it looks like a taste bud and not to worry about it. Well, she could tell I was still concerned. And made an appointment to see an oral surgeon later that day.

Tuesday afternoon I went to see an oral surgeon figuring he will biopsy it. He took one look and said it was a taste bud. I said how can you tell from just looking at it. He said that he has been in practice for over 30 years and if he thought there was a remote chance that it was cancer that he would never dismiss it. He explained that it will not go away, it may get bigger or smaller, but not go away.

So I have been to four differnt doctors from a walkin to a GP, to a ENT to a oral surgeon. All are basically saying it is a taste bud.

Should I forget about this or demand to have a biopsy?


Dino
#27314 04-13-2005 03:58 AM
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,163
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Offline
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)

Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,163
What harm can come in doing a biospy? This diaease has been missed dx many times. For your peace of mind I would have them take a biospy. My opinion only. Better a stage 1 than a stage 3 or four.

Dannny Boy


Daniel Bogan DX 7/16/03 Right tonsil,SCC T4NOMO. right side neck disection, IMRT Radiation x 33.

Recurrance in June 05 in right tonsil area. Now receiving palliative chemo (Erbitux) starting 3/9/06

Our good friend and loved member of the forum has passed away RIP Dannyboy 7-16-2006
#27315 04-13-2005 05:16 AM
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 928
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Offline
"Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)

Joined: May 2003
Posts: 928
Dino
You have been futzing around with this thing at least since March 26th. Please stop driving yourself and us nuts .
GO GET A BIOPSY !
Marica


Caregiver to husband Pete, Dx 4/03 SCC Base of Tongue Stage IV. Chemo /Rad no surgery. Treatment finished 8/03. Doing great!
#27316 04-13-2005 06:55 AM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Offline
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)

Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
Dino,
soft is good - tumors are usually denser than normal tissue so they palpate fairly easily. Please understand that many of us here had late Dx's and that's why we are conservative with our advice. I mistook a a salivary gland for a tumor once. It's easy to do when you get the cancer fear thing going and start checking your mouth with a torch (flashlight) every day and start discovering normal parts of your anatomy that were there all along but you never noticed before. The ENT was your best shot for an accurate Dx. I take it that you found one with cancer experience? If so then I would relax a little.


Gary Allsebrook
***********************************
Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
________________________________________________________
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
#27317 04-13-2005 08:25 AM
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,384
Likes: 1
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Offline
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)

Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,384
Likes: 1
I tend to agree with Gary on this one. You could rest fairly easy knowing that several trained eyes have seen this thing and are not at all concerned. I would carry on without further worry and set up a followup visit regularly for a while.

There are MANY things that happen inside the mouth that are NOT cancer. While the numbers diagnosed with oral cancer are too high (30,000) per year, The odds are in your favor that you do not have cancer. Try to move this to a "back burner" in your mind.

If you can't live with this on the back burner then explain that to the doctors; that you really want a biopsy for YOUR peace of mind. While a biopsy is not a huge deal, I would not want one every month just for fun.


Mark, 21 Year survivor, SCC right tonsil, 3 nodes positive, one with extra-capsular spread. I never asked what stage (would have scared me anyway) Right side tonsillectomy, radical neck dissection right side, maximum radiation to both sides, no chemo, no PEG, age 40 when diagnosed.
#27318 04-13-2005 08:30 AM
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,244
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Offline
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)

Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,244
Dino
Relax, we have all found weird things inside our mouths, thats what ENT guys do their training for, to sort the wheat from the chaff...
Sunshine.. love and hugs
Helen


SCC Base of tongue, (TISN0M0) laser surgery, 10/01 and 05/03 no clear margins. Radial free flap graft to tonsil pillar, partial glossectomy, left neck dissection 08/04
#27319 04-30-2005 02:08 PM
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 25
Dino Offline OP
Contributing Member (25+ posts)
OP Offline
Contributing Member (25+ posts)

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 25
Hello all...

I finally had a biopsy on this growth on the side of my tongue. The reluts came back negative. I had an ENT biopsy it, he is not a cancer speaclist. I feel better that this came back negative. I mean this is the seond biopsy I have had that came back negative on two different things on my tongue. But, I feel like im either crazy or something might not be right.

About a week after this biopsy I started to feel something in my throat. When i swallow i feel as if there is something there. Then pain like a sore throat started off and on. Then the pain seemed to go away. But i still feel something there.

I had to go for a follow up with my ENT for the biopsy and explained to him what symptoms I had.
He would not even look down my throat. He said that the biopsy showed that it was lymph tissue and he had told me thats what he had expected it was. He said that I have had two biopsys and that i dont have cancer and i should stop worrying.

My question is....should i stop worrying and forget about this thing in my throat.. My wife did have a soar throat for about two weeks before i started getting this pain and feeling of something there..

Or should i go see another doc...?

I mean i feel like i might be over-reacting in some sense...

My general doctor even suggested for me to take anxity medication or go see a shrink

All I know is that im not crazy and if i did not have these symptoms i would simply let it go

what do you guys think?


Dino
#27320 04-30-2005 02:36 PM
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,140
Likes: 1
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Offline
Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)

Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,140
Likes: 1
Dino, reading your post brought back a memory of a long ago incident. I experienced very similar symptoms as far as feeling something in my throat. I went to a doctor, who told me there was nothing there and to figure out what was causing my anxiety. I was not pleased initially, but then I called off the engagement and never had the problem again (grin). This is just to demonstrate that anxiety alone can cause real, physical symtoms.

#27321 05-04-2005 11:05 PM
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 25
Dino Offline OP
Contributing Member (25+ posts)
OP Offline
Contributing Member (25+ posts)

Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 25
Hello all -

I still have this felling of a lump in the back of my throat. I have had it for about two weeks. I went back to see my ENT a few days ago. He took this instrument put it up my nose and looked down my throat. He told me he did not see anything there. I told him i felt something there and i wanted a ct scan.

He said to me that i already had two biopsys and that he check my throat and nothing was there.

He said mybe because you think about this so much you feel something there

I tried to insist and he replied that maybe i should see a shrink

Know i dont feel crazy, I have thses symptoms and I am simply trying to follow up on them. I do suffer from a little bit of anixety, but I have this sypmtom and I am really confused at this point

should i follow up with a scan or just take this doctors advice?

If it was a tumor and i could feel it would the doctor have been most likely able to see or feel it at this point?


Dino
#27322 05-04-2005 11:29 PM
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Offline
Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)

Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,552
Maybe you and Ronnie can sign up for group therapy. Be grateful you don't have cancer and move on. Maybe you are a hypochondriac also. Nothing to be ashamed of - it is a mental condition that can be cured. If I didn't have cancer and hung out here a lot I would probably be imagining things also.

Why so much paranoia? Do you chew tobacco, smoke heavy, do lots of drugs or are an alcoholic? Do you have HPV or engage in other high risk behaviours? (Now is the time to QUIT if you do -hint, hint!)

It took an ENT about less than 5 seconds for my Dx and that didn't even include the biopsy or a scope. Those things came later as proof positive.

Like others here I had missed Dx's also but that was BEFORE I went to the ENT (like when I saw the GP, a dentist and an oral surgeon).


Gary Allsebrook
***********************************
Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
________________________________________________________
"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Moderated by  Brian Hill 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Top Posters
ChristineB 10,507
davidcpa 8,311
Cheryld 5,264
EzJim 5,260
Brian Hill 4,918
Newest Members
john173, Movingwater, Baleeve, sartruc, jessb2025
13,339 Registered Users
Forum Statistics
Forums23
Topics18,253
Posts197,151
Members13,339
Most Online1,788
Jan 23rd, 2025
OCF Awards

Great Nonprofit OCF 2023 Charity Navigator OCF Guidestar Charity OCF

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5