Hello Friends, Terrific board you all have here. I am 22 years old... I have been dealing with a slew of health issues for the past year after a couple of oral encounters with two women which has culminated in a diagnosis of Lupus and my last major hurdle which seems to be problems with my mouth and throat which have me terribly worried... I will try to sum them up below from a post I made on another forum I have visited recently... Thanks in advance for any help you can provide...

...I need help.

I dont see the ENT until the 29th of June and Im agonizing with worry over this last of my constant symptoms. As many of you know my body has gone crazy over the past year and recently I had a loose diagnosis of Lupus and either my brain or the medicine actually seems to be doing something for the other problems.

But the last conquest I have to make is my throat and tonsils, and I fear the worst for this area because of all the agonizing and debilitating symptoms I had over the past year, I ignorned the throat problems the most... I just couldnt keep up with it all, it was like a Full time job!!!

Anyhow, the tonsils have been very swollen (about halfway into the middle but not so far to touch the uvula) for about as long as Ive had these problems. The one on the left side seems to have a more cryptlike appearance than the one on the right which is smoother. What really worries me is the one on the right also has a longish kind of red patch next to it on the adjacent tonsillar pillar which it pushes against, but the LEFT one doesnt have this anomale. Of course Ive read all the bad news about red patches in the mouth, and Im not finding anything about ANY red patch being normal!, and keep in mind this all started after two oral encounters with women over a year ago (started with very swollen glands and difficulty swallowing, treated with a wide spectrum antibiotic which did cause the lymph nodes to go down but the tonsils never did). This red patch on the tonsillar pillar is my single biggest point of worry as it is kind of elongated and follows the curvature of the tonsil next to it.

Well I didnt pay much attention to them until my newest doctor (I have moved around a few times in the past year) actually seemed a little more concerned about them then the previous doctors did just because he felt they might be causing me discomfort. Now of course Im noticing an increasing amount of throat pain, both soreness and occasional hoarse voice and general sore throat, particularly on the right side (especially when I "force" my throat muscles closed on purpose). A few times on long road trips the whole right side of my neck has even hurt!!! Ive had various occasions of tinnitus and slight ear pain a couple of times. In addition to this, the skin flap that is directly behind the uvula seems more "pulled down" on the right side behind the tonsil than it does on the left side, and I have noticed sometimes the back of my throat is red with veins in it.

At the beginning of this whole thing I did have a time where it felt like nasal stuff was going back there alot, and of course these huge tonsils have caused me to have terrible snoring and I have bad breath also. When I push hard on the hollow area beneath my adams apple it also makes me cough... But of course I fear the worst for what this could mean and Ive read that the oral contact could have something to do with it. I am only 22 years old and do not smoke or drink.

Anyone else ever had problems like this?

Ian.

Ian
I also have Lupus, becareful that they don't miss anything by putting it all on the Lupus, mine was missed for 6 months because Lupus was the easy answer.
Sunshine love and hugs
Helen

Thanks Helen,

Any insight on my symptoms? My biggest concern is the reddish area on my tonsillar pillar. I feel as if there is no hope.

Ian, try to relax until you get to see the ENT. It would be very unusual for someone your age to have oral cancer(not unheard of, but unusual) While there is a connection possibility with HPV and oral sexual contact, it would not likely result in a rapid cancer growth. I'll wager this is some kind of infection. Now that I said that, don't forget to tell the ENT that you have had these symptoms for quite a while. A biopsy is perhaps a good idea.

If it turns out to be the worst, you still have hope.

Thank you Mark. I suppose I did forget it takes time for HPV to do its dirty-work, even in Cervical cancer. Though I have to admit Ive been very very irresponsible with my oral health, and have thus created a ripe environment for bacteria and infection

I guess part of what is making this so hard on me right now is something alot of people seemingly take for granted. Most times I hear of these stories people talk about how their partner helped them through it. Its not so much my age that bothers me, but the fact that the person that I had in mind to be there for me is out of the picture now, and while I do have my family I dont know how Im supposed to face something like this possibility with a broken spirit and being alone. If I come out of this disfigured as a young guy like I am, what will my hope ever be of finding someone again? Ive read about the xerostomia and the radical neck dissection's etc... and have just about worked myself into a tizzy.

And even still, you could say I should be thankful to be in this place. In the past year I have been deathly afraid of everything from HIV at the beginning, to being completely 100 percent convinced I had pancreatic or GI cancers due to all the slew of symptoms I dealt with.

I know Im rambling, but I just wanted to get that off my chest.

Thanks again,
Ian.

pd4, get a grip on yourself, take a deep breath, and step back a bit. Mark is correct in that it would be very unusual for you to have developed oral cancer at your age, if you really don't smoke or chew or drink. Also, if by some fluke you do have it, you will not be disfigured, and the common treatment now with IMRT, radiation narrowly focused, leaves many of us with saliva, unlike just a few years ago when the radiation covered a wide area. I have known several men who have had tonsilectomies at about your age, and this, coupled with your admitted poor oral hygiene, may be what ails you. You could have lots of things other than cancer, and I would say the percentages are in your favor. If, however, you do have it, we will be here to help you. Now take another deep breath.

Ian, since I am older probably than your grandmother,and I have 2 grandchildren of my own, I will share 2 thoughts with you.#One - Try to calm down until you really know what is going on - then you will deal with it and # TWO - brush up on the SAFE SEX infomation that is readily available today. Amy

Thanks all,

Appreciate the thoughts. The irony of the whole situation is those two times were one of the very few in my life ive even done anything like that. If I had a more steady and regular personal life in that respect, I probably would not have gotten myself into those situations to begin with. I certainly havent done anything since... Im too scared Ill catch something!

My sore throats are also very strange. My throat doesnt become sore unless Im doing strenuous activity, such as driving for long periods, or if I start talking for more than 2 or 3 minutes at a time at full voice. Then my throat begins to get sore occasionally and my voice starts to get a little hoarse.

I was examining that red patch more closely last night (I usually look at it whenever I get in my car in the rearview mirror since its bright) with a powerful flashlight I have, and it seems as though the left side does in fact have some redness as well, though less pronounced than the redness on the right side.

On a scary note, I am feeling tightness in my neck and I fear it may be node related. I hope it is not.

Hello Ian,

It's not time to freak out now. As posted above step back and take a deep breath. This could me many things besides cancer. After you see the ENT
he may want to biospy it. You will than receive a pathlogy report detailing what they find.
"It ain't cancer til they tell you it's cancer"

Keep us posted after your visit on the 29th.

All my Best, Danny Boy