Oral cancer worry

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Hello, some of you may know me as I have posted on a couple of different other groups on here. I want to start by saying yes I do suffer with health anxiety and I am currently undergoing therapy for this. But this does not stop me from worrying. Iv worried about many parts of my body over the years thinking I have cancer. It’s a massive fear of mine(and everybody else). 

what I am here for is to see if anybody has had any similar symptoms to what I am experiencing. Before I start I just want to say I have a follow up appointment with my GP tomorrow and also an emergency dentist appointment tomorrow.

around 6 weeks ago I came across a pea size lump on the side of my neck, I think it’s soft and it definitely moves, no pain. This hasn’t grown in size, I don’t think. I had neck pain for 2 weeks straight which has finally cleared up. I had what seemed to be a cut behind my top front teeth about 4 weeks ago which cleared up but last week it came back and it causes like a burning tingling sensation and my front teeth to ache. For the last 2 evenings my whole set of teeth are throbbing in pain but by the morning it’s gone. Iv noticed my tonsils look a little enlarged and sore but again no pain, no difficulty swallowing etc. Also my gums seems to look really red with lighter patches through it and I think I have what looks to be a pimple on my top gum. 

now besides the HA I am absolutely terrified that this is cancer and that all the times I thought I had cancer and didn’t I won’t be so lucky this time round. 

can anyone shed some advice and reassurance and any similar experiences you have been through. 

thankyou xx

  • Hi Mummyofthree

    Sorry you're still stressing about things.

    I think it would be a good idea to go back to your GP and tell him/her about your anxiety issue as this does really seem to be at the root of your stress.  Also, it would be worth requesting a referral to ENT if you havn't already been seen where they can do a good scope of your throat.

    Linda x

     

  • Hi Linda, 

    I have managed to get back into the dentist tomorrow, and I’m praying that I am being dramatic as always and I’m just being silly again. Every time I show someone

    my tongue they give me that look like omg what is that! I’m terrified! I know I am frustrating everyone, wether they be family friends or people I don’t know. It’s just such a weird looking thing on the back of my tongue :( feel like crying right now xx

  • Hello, me again.

    I was up all night tossing and turning worrying abouT my mouth, every time I moved my tongue felt like there was a lump there. Iv looked and it looks like my tartare buds have swollen on the back of my tongue. Should I be worried about this with everything else going on in there. 2 hours until my dentist appointment and it can’t come quick enough because I’m starting to feel really scared this is all connected to cancer. 

    :(

  • Mummyofthree

    You have your dental appointment.

    I'm sorry but nobody here can offer you a diagnosis 

    If it is cancer we can support you 

    You have explained a few times how you suffer from a health anxiety, how often your cancer fears have been groundless and people have taken the time to counsel you into addressing this with your GP.

    Your GP is the person to go to

    I have mentioned this before but I'm not sure if you contacted the Macmillan support line which is 0808 808 00 00 and is open every day from 8am to 8pm

    Dani 

    Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019

    I BLOGGED MY TREATMENT 

    Macmillan Support Line -  0808 808 00 00 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

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  • Hello everyone, haven’t been here for a while, didn’t want to bother any of you with my anxiety worries. I feel like I frustrate a lot of you and I am sorry especially when you have been through this horrible disease yourselves. 

    it was just to add a little update. I saw my dentist last Friday and spoke to her about My worries of cancer on the tongue, she took a good look and said that it does all look pretty normal and that she wasn’t concerned, but if I still had these annoying symptoms to go back to her and she will have another look. She also said that my tonsils(both) looked slightly red and swollen and could be mild case of tonsillitis. Strange because I had no pain, to which I answered “omg do I have tonsil cancer?”anxiety clearly setting in. She looked at me with those eyes that I can feel most people looking at me with wether to my face or through a screen, and said no, why do you keep saying that. I did explain to her that I have health anxiety and I am very worried. She said to me oral cancer doesn’t just happen overnight!! Lovely dentist, totally reassured me, walked out of there feeling great, my tongue pain went from 80% pain to about 30% pain within minutes! Madness! The following day funnily enough my throat started to hurt... coincidence? Or anxiety? Who knows. It’s been like that since and not a persistent pain, it’s like there sometimes and 90% of the time it’s not. Like a dry pain, sound familiar? The last day or so my tongue has been playing up again, but it’s not so much of a pain it’s more of a tingling/burning sensation. Alongside some throat pain. I did have a metal/bitter taste but that only seemed to last a few days then buggered off. Now of course I have googled again(shoot me) and it’s set my anxiety off. 

    I was showing my mum today my mouth and she said that it looked like I had thrush on my tongue, so I nipped to the pharmacy and spoke to them about my problem, they took a quick look inside my mouth, which I was surprised they would do, said that it looks like there is an ulcer there and that it is healing hence the tingling sensation. So they gave me some gengigel to apply to the affected area and if no luck to back to the GP in a week. 

    I keep trying to tell myself I have burning mouth syndrome, whenever I eat or drink it overrides that burning sensation, I don’t have trouble eating, swallowing etc, but I know that still sometimes you don’t have all symptoms of cancer.

    just can’t seem to stop worrying about it or thinking that these professionals are fobbing me off. Still waiting for my ultrasound appointment to come through for the lump in my neck and trying my very best to not pick up the phone to bother the doctor again so soon after seeing them. 

    I think though even though I have rambled on in this post, it’s the calmest I have felt writing something, I don’t feel overly panicky, just wanting someone to talk to without doing everyone’s head in as usual lol. 

    Thankyou again for reading and responding, I appreciate every single one of you and I am very greatful for the support you give me when I’m panicking and rambling xxxx

  • Good evening Mummyofthree, thanks for this update, this is all good news so you must put all this behind you and focus on the future, you have so much to look forward to so use this time with your family and keep off google as it is not helping you its doing the complete opposite and this is why we get very frustrated when people say i read it on google. We understand your anxieties very much and we will always try to help if it is a cancer issue. Take care and look for a brighter better future.

                                                        Chris x

    Its sometimes not easy but its worth it ! 

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  • Hi Mummyofthree

    All of this is excellent news. I hope you can put all of this behind you. I'm glad we have all been of some help now I wish you all the best in getting some proper help with your health anxiety which I know is really debilitating. Good luck.

    Dani 

    Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019

    I BLOGGED MY TREATMENT 

    Macmillan Support Line -  0808 808 00 00 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

    Community Champion badge
  • Thankyou, I have been much better the last couple of days, only now I think I have thrush on the back of my tongue Face palm tone1‍ am I just being tested or what? Seems like it’s one thing after another. X

  • Ok now I’m really worried, I have just been to the pharmacy regarding my tongue, treatment for thrush, he says it could be but usually would be much whiter if it was, but gave me oral gel to use on it and hope that it clears up and if not to go back to gp, I asked him if he thought it was leukoplakia and he said it could be, now correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t this serious, I’m really really scared now and my anxiety has hit again. Xx

  • Mummyofthree. You’ve just had a clean Bill of health from your dentist and from your GP. Nobody here can give you a diagnosis and In my opinion the pharmacist had no place to offer such an opinion either. Why would things have changed in a matter of days?
    I’m sorry but there are people here fighting to stay alive in the face of their cancer. You really need to move on and  look to a brighter future once you’ve addressed your health anxiety with the proper therapy. 

    Dani 

    Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019

    I BLOGGED MY TREATMENT 

    Macmillan Support Line -  0808 808 00 00 7 days a week between 8am-8pm

    Community Champion badge
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