Awaiting results

Hi Sev.

From what i have learnt from my experience the answer is NO. only by a biopsy. 

I am 71 and retired to northern France in 2011

  I know it is not easy for most people, but stress is a great friend of Cancer so if possible be like me and stay as stress free as you can.

If it is cancer the greatest thing for you in your battle with it and I will not lie it is a massive battle. is your Morale it is as important as any treatment and the cancer will try so hard to break it. Don't let it.   

Similar to you i had un ultrasound and was told mine was not a growth or cancerous and just an inflamed gland and it would go in 2 to 3 weeks. oh, how wrong they were. as it did not go and was getting bigger saw a brilliant ENT specialist who was not happy with them as my growth had become huge and was under the base of my Tonge. from what he told me any scans will only show what size shape and condition of the area. And a biopsy of a small piece of growth is the only easy to tell exactly what it is. Mine came back as cancer localised and would not spread but was growing fast. so have had radio, chemo and surgery in July 2021 and now only have a tiny piece of the tumour left. In my case as it is the way i am i took on the cancer as a fight that i was determined to win but it will try every trick in the book to defeat you and so many times it seemed to be winning but i fought as hard as i could to keep fighting and 2 weeks ago it has finally realised it will never win whatever ever it does and apart from the occasional hard punch is giving up,

Best advice for you now in your position is make sure (and if need be, insist) they tell you exactly what is wrong and what they are going to do about it. Do not get angry and shout and swear at them as it will only get their backs up. But stay firm and do not give in to them until you are happy it is your body and personal so don't let then fob you off with any excuses. if they do and you are still not happy ask for their name and position and tell them you will hold them personally responsible if things go wrong. most of them hide behind the system and hate being in the firing line. I have had 2 to 3 incidents of this, and it has moved mountains. from not being Posible to somehow sorry we can sort this out.

Good luck for tomorrow and if possible, let me know how you get on.

if you do want to know more about your condition and have questions i discovered about 3 months ago there is a great website called mouth cancer foundation

Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me a bit about your experience. When I first saw his partner he said I have polyps on my vocal chords and after doing the endoscopy he referred me to the specialist who was booked out until next year. In a week I had a scan done and was seeing him. I am getting the biopsy tomorrow and will talk to him within 2 to 3 days after that. It just seems to be happening so fast. I have noticed that my body feels very tired and my throat hurts on and off, headaches are more frequent and my ear pain comes and goes. Its daunting reading up on it because theres so much but I only hope that if it is I will be strong enough to fight it. I know morale is very important. Thank you again and I will let you know once I get my results.

Hi Sev and welcome to our community. Sorry you have found yourself here. As Zoot says, biopsy is definitive, but a good experienced clinician can usually have an idea from an endoscopy. The fact t that you have an enlarged tonsil and swollen lymph nodes is a real red flag.

An FNA can sometimes miss cancer which is why they have suggested a PET if the results are negative. If they do find cancer a lot of people have that PET anyway.

I had base of tongue cancer (we have tonsils there too...who would know!) over three years ago and had a course of radiotherapy. I am fit and well and living a good life with only minor manageable side effects. Tonsil cancer is not only treatable but very curable so hold onto that 

My advice is to leave Google alone. It is full of inaccurate and alarming stories as well as excellent ones but sifting through them is a minefield. There is a real temptation to keep looking and looking for an article which tells you that you don't have c cancer but all you find is worse and worse stuff. That way madness lies.

The waiting is awful but we have to endure...keep busy do something physical.

Your biopsy results will usually take a couple of weeks so don't expect them when you see talk to your consultant in a few days

If the news is bad stick around. There are lots of people here who have been through it and come out the other side to help and support you

Best wishes

Hi Sev  in my case my lump,in neck was biopsied  by fna and a week later SCC squamous cancer cells were diagnosed it was, then a case if finding primary. Which for me showed in mri as being inside my tonsil  I then had a further  G A. Biopsy  then a pet Ct scan then showed I had several affected lymph nodes.

The waiting’s the worst part keep off Google we will help you. 
Hazel 

blog below might help

Hi Sev 

Zoot was right...I had similar experience... primary in tonsils, secondary in lymph nodes...both sides and a tumour in my tongue. It's a tough road as far as treatment goes but very doable...as others say stay of Google, plenty of advice on here from people who have been through it. I found the only things I could really control were my attitude and my fitness...so try and work on both as it really helps. I like many have made it through this horrible disease...you will too.

Good luck 

Chas

Thank you I can't tell you how I feel reading these messages. I will take the advice to stay off google and hearing positive outcomes that it is curable or manageable definitely helps my morale. Thank you  for the support i am trying my best not to overthink it until I see some results

Thank you I can't tell you how I feel reading these messages. I will take the advice to stay off google and hearing positive outcomes that it is curable or manageable definitely helps my morale. Thank you  for the support i am trying my best not to overthink it until I see some results

Hi Sev. If I say I’m 65 female sat in the sun half way through a 40 km bike ride happily living g my life   Four years ago I was 1 ninth out if treatment. Don’t get me  wrong it’s hard but if I can do it anyone can.   Thus us me today. Hazel 

Hope you’re enjoying the sunshine. Do you know it’s made your hair grow more on one side

Hi Dani  lol it’s the new me. Hairdresser cut it like that one side  short  one side long same with fringe angled.  Supposed to give me edge !! Wish me luck as tuesdsy booking appointment over here for it cutting or trimming providing my Spanish is understood .

H xx