New Here & Laughing/Tearing Up... I have mouth cancer.

[coral3]

I laughed and got teary eyed at some posts here. I cannot believe what I am reading - and relating to.

I'm a new poster, and I am seriously obcessed with ailments. I have cancer a lot, blod clots, numbness in my legs, etc.

I currently 'have' oral cancer - I discovered this on WebMd, which looking it up was a big mistake, I KNOW! I have a pencil eraser sized white bump in my throat (a "REAL" ailment which has been there for at least a week - I noticed it after looking at my throat during a cold I had 2 weeks ago), but now it's causing me to notice everything wrong with my mouth - pain occasionally and today I felt like the tip of my tongue was numb. 2 doctors have seen it & my mom who is a nurse, and I have no swollen glands or anything. One said it was just a place and salt water would clear it up (not an infection, just something from my cold), and the other said it was a cut (a virus, not infection) and gave me a steroid creme to put on it - the problem with this is that this creme notes risks to early pregnancies and I am pregnant - medicines terrify me of having an allergic reaction. Everyone says it's okay to take, but who really knows?  The white bump is on day 10 and still there. My mom, the nurse, had a cut in her mouth do the same thing, but I really just don't think positive thoughts about this. I'm like, this is it. I am really done.

My husband, friends and family are sick of hearing my ailments. They don't understand that they TRULY put me into a depression for weeks because they consume my thoughts. I can't take it. I hate being like this, and I don't know what to do. I am the mother of 2 children and another on the way- anything that happens to them, scares me to death. I seriously think worse case scenerio about EVERYTHING and I am ready to stop. It is ruining parts of my regular life. It's worst when I'm stressed out, which is now.

How can you control this? I feel a disconnect from my husband right now because he doesn't know how to help me, because I don't either. I try to concentrate on other things, but here I am, looking for someone to just tell me that I don't have mouth cancer.

[melly310]

Hi,

I have the exact same thing you do, I got it after I had a massive sinus infection, but it's still there, it won't go away.  My dr. told me it's just infection from sinus drainage that I'm still having, and I have to go on another round of antibiotics to get rid of it.  My guess is that you may have some sinus drainage that is causing it.

Don't worry about it, maybe your dr. could give you antibiotics?  No side effects there at all and I don't think they'll hurt your baby.

I know it's easier said than done, I'm battling a "brain tumor" right now, even though my CT scan AND MRI were negative.  I'm just trying to think of other things.

Post here as often as you can, this board is what is helping me pull myself out of the rut that I've found myself in.  Because my husband sure isn't any help at all.

Let us know how you're getting along.

Hope this helped.

Melanie

[coral3]

Hi Melly, well I have to tell you that since the MRI & Ct said fine, I think  you are!  :) Sinus problems hurt like heck and cause major weird symptoms. I get them pretty bad a few times a year (when I do when I move my head a certain way, my head feels like it's exploding!).

Tell me more about your white bump. It it like raised and big? I have to tell you that I used the steroid creme last night and it's thinner this morning, and I'm not looking at it until tonight.

Totally understand the husband thing...  We can be psycho here together and GET OVER IT! This morning I feel 'better' because I'm not so tired...

[skires]

Hi Coral

I'm with u on this one mate.

This is the reason why my hypochondria has flared up again at the moment.

I too, over the years, have convinced myself I have every cancer going.

14 years ago I was quite poorly ... call it a breakdown ..  whatever .. I had 500 blood tests .. 300 x-rays ... all sorts of scans ... cameras shoved up here and down there .. Thank God .. all negative .. but my list of symptoms had convinced me that I had bowel cancer / stomach cancer / brain tumour / MS and so on.

Anyway ... This february I had the cold / flu from hell .. I had it for about two weeks .. real monster ... but finally the flu subsided but I was left with a sore throat ... sore throat seemed to go but then came back and go and came back .. Anyway .. at one point it was really sore so I went to docs in case I needed anti biotics for a secondary throat infection following the flu. Doc looked in mouth and immediately rang up hospital ENT dept ... he said he wanted them to have a look.. I was terrified. So two days later ( and what a two days they were ) I went to hospital. Two ENT docs looked at my throat and said it was just inflamed/sore prob due to the virus I'd had. They said to be thorough they would put a camera down my nostril and into my throat and check all was ok. Thank God .. they said it was ... they said it was prob all viral and no point giving me antibiotics. So I walked away feeling relieved.

...but ...

The sore throat remained .. not so much sore now as feeling dry / scratchy. So like a madman I got the mirror out and started looking at back of my throat ... OMG ... I could see 3 white lumps .. raised .. that was it ... I'm a gonner ... and like a bigger madman .. str8 on the internet and looking up 'lumps in throat ' ... OMG .. scared myself to death. So back down to my local surgery and I'm leaning all over this doctor ( diff one ) with my mouth wide open screaming .. look at the back of my throat .. I have lumps on the back of my throat.

He looked and quite calmly said .. yeah .. there's a bit of redness there ... I said ... never mind redness .. can u see those big white raised lumps .. he said .. yeah .. just a sign that u have or have had an infection in your throat... nothing to worry about. He said he would give me a week of anti biotics just in case it was bacterial. Took them ... didn't help. So back down again ( yet another doc ) ... again showing him the white lumps ... yep .. he said ... just a sign of infection.

Like u, I was told to gargle with salty water.

I've now had this for months ... and like you I initially spent all day, every day checking in mirror ... I've since spotted lumps , bumps , appearing ( and disappearing ) all over my tongue , gums , inner cheeks. I dare bet those same things were always appearing / disappearing .. I just wasn't constantly inspecting my mouth.

So ... I just have to try and comfort myself that 14 years ago I made myself very poorly from disbelieving the docs and convincing myself that the docs were all wrong and that I had some terrible illness . They were right ... I was wrong. So when two ENT specialists and a cpl of other docs have looked at my throat .. including the endoscope at the hospital ... and they all say .. nothing to worry about ... then I have to believe them.

One thing I have done ... is read about effects of stress on mouth and throat ... and stress plays havoc in these areas ... as not only do we produce less saliva when stressed ... the make up of the saliva is different and our immune system is weakened ... so viruses / bacteria / fungii are far harder to fight off in this area and the more stressed we are ... the longer they can linger.

Good luck

Skires

[coral3]

It is nice to know that there are others who haven't keeled over because of white bumps in their throast... You are like me expecting the worst case scenerio and so forth. It is truly ridiculous!


Now, what I would like to know, is how long have you had your white bump, skires? Is this your primary ailment at the present or do you 'have' something else?

I'm interested in my fellow 'crazies'--- and I use that term with fondness - trust me! :)

[skires]

Coral

I noticed these white bumps prob ... ooh ... 2 mnths ago ??? ... dunno how long they were there b4 I spotted them.

I try not to look in my mouth anymore.

As far as 'anything else' .....

I do have other symptoms but they are things I have lived with for most of my life .. and things that I have had many tests for .. so although those symptoms are troublesome .. ( mainly general anxiety symptoms ) ... I'm used to them and they don't really scare me as much any more ... but this throat thing is 'new' so I'm struggling to accept this one at the moment.

...and ... lol .. oh I'm a crazy alright .. absolutely barmy ..

take care

Skires

[melly310]

Coral,

Yep, I've had several of those raised white bumps on my throat since I had that infection.  Mine looked like little pieces of cauliflower made me sick to look at them.  But they fell off.  The one I have now isn't raised and it's on my tonsil.  And it's yellow .  Gross, I know.  And the only reason it's not freaking me out is because when I was in my 20's I got them all the time.  My dr. at that time told me it was just infected sinus drainage.  I know what you're thinking, throat cancer.  Those things aren't the symptoms of that.  I thought I had that about a year ago, googled the symptoms, and they were never mentioned, even on WebMD!!!!!!!!!!!

Melanie