Throat cancer fears

[Aimee92]

Hi there,

So I posted a few days ago regarding fears about having certain forms of cancer (Oral,Throar,Brain Tumour).

Now since then I've been to the dentist and mentioned my fears of Oral Cancer, he checked my mouth and assured me I DO NOT have Oral Cancer. Whilst I trust his judgement and am sure he knows what he is talking about, I still have that niggling sense of doubt. Though he has for the most part put my mind at ease on the Oral Cancer bit.

Though for the past few days I have been doing just what I shouldn't and used google again. Now my fears that I have some form of throat cancer have heightened. Over the past few days I've had more trouble with my throat, in addition to things I've had for a while:

•feeling of something stuck in throat (middle/bottom) (on and off for year it so, been constant for past month or so)
•past couple if days food has felt like it's been getting stuck in my throat, though I'm not sure if its the "lump" as I can feel it more when swallowing.
•mild/moderate sore throat for around 2 weeks
•since Sunday Ive developed a funny taste in my mouth (acidic/metallic), though I'm not sure if this is actually happening or my mind playing tricks on me.
•I've not has this for months but I've had this feeling of liquid being in the bottom of my throat before (acidic/metallic/bloody? taste).
•very occasionally get a ache in my chest between my breast, only last for few minutes at a time

I can breathe fine, no pain when swallowing and no coughing up blood, nor does any come up when I stick my finger down throat (not trying to make myself sick, somehow think I can feel lump if I do).

I'm convinced I have some kind of throat cancer. That it I possibly have an acid reflux, which is better than cancer I guess but then I get to thinking its probably eroded my throat and I have developed Cancer because of it.

[lashes]

I can't offer any advice but I've had the exact same symptoms except the funny taste it's been going on for months x

[AlexandriaUK]

Hi you have just answered your own post, you have been to the dentist and he says you do not have oral cancer, oral cancer is mouth, throat gums the lot and I want tell you what is usually the first sign of throat cancer(you don't have it) just know your Dentist would have seen that as well, STOP googling it will send you batty LOL and you will have every cancer disease going I promise.
Do you smoke?

[lashes]

Can smoking cause these symptoms ? I dont want to google ! I smoke about 20 a day x

[Aimee92]

Hi guys,

I really do trust my dentist. I see him every 3 months and last saw him about a week ago, and I know they are trained to look for oral cancer. It's just my that small sense of doubt in my mind trying to convince me otherwise. Plus given my age it's doubtful, seeing as I'm only 20.

No I don't smoke. Well I did sort of did for 2 weeks when I was 14 but I don't think that counts. The only smoke I've ever really been exposed to is second hand, and that's only occasionaly when I visit family members who smoke, or if it drifts through my window from the prople who live downstairs. So not enough to be a danger to me. I only drink occasionally, and then I only drink a bit. Not enough to be dangerous. There is no family history of cancer. At least on my mums side, I dont know about my dads, though my mum said as far as she knows there is none. But she's not been in contact for nearly 21 years, so anything could have happened since.

Google really isn't helpful when you are in the kind of mindset I'm in right now, in the past few weeks I've had every kind of cancer going. Ive been assured by the doctor I don't have cancer as well, but I still think 'what if'. As I've heard and read all the horrors stories of doctors failing to notice these things and am terrified that will happen to me.

[illgetthere]

Those are all symptoms of acid reflux to a t or silent reflux lpr I have all this on a daily basis and have had it for 2 years x

[Aimee92]

Well I guess it's something to mention to the Doctor on Friday, when I get my ECG results.

[AlexandriaUK]

Can smoking cause these symptoms ? I dont want to google ! I smoke about 20 a day x

I would say that definately smoking can cause a claggy throat, cant think of any other word to describe it and I dont want to preach bt it would be better for your health and your anxiety to try and give up now before it does cause a real problem, you are young enough to make a difference and you will feel better I promise, I quit 3 years ago and it has truly helped my anxiety levels.

---------- Post added at 19:12 ---------- Previous post was at 19:06 ----------

Hope you didn't mind me answering lashes? a lot of what you describe could be put down to acid re flux but you don't mention the burning in the gullet which will be your next symptom so if it is acid re-flux you can nip it in the bud before it gets worse, but to be honest I would say that your symptoms are caused by your HA and anxiety about cancer and possibly about your heart as you mention ECG results, yo are a baby still at 20 very very rare to get things like oral cancer as well.

Are you eating proplerly,

[Aimee92]

No, no problem with you answering lashes at all.

I'll admit, until recently I hadn't had a diet high in fruit and veg, as I generally just eat whatever's in the flat, and we don't always have veggies, but I do have some of each a few times a week. I don't have a diet high in processed and fried food though, so it is relatively healthy.

The ECG was because I started having palpitations a few weeks ago, which is what kicked all this off. How it got from heart palpitations to cancer I don't know.

[AlexandriaUK]

Had to laugh at your comment of how you went from heart to mouth, its the nature of the beast and when yo are sure you are OK with those it will move to something else and it goes on, I suppose I was always focused on my heart so didn't think of much else until I got really sick 2 years ago and then I thought that was cancer, it wasn't but pretty bad, but that's another story, I am sure your ECG will be fine as they usually tell you their and then if its not, did Doc do it or Nurse our nurses do our eeeek scary things LOL

Excuse my type my U is playing up

[Aimee92]

The mind really is a scary thing.

I had my bloods done a couple of weeks ago and they came back fine, so hopefully the ECG will as well. I had it done by a nurse, first time I've ever had one so I didn't really know what to expect. Sleeping with it on wasn't the most comfortable experience, as I sleep on my side usually and it kinda pinched.

[AlexandriaUK]

That answer my question as to why you didnt get results straight the way, its because you wore a halter and it was on for 24 hours I presume.
Are you feeling a bit better now :hugs:

[lashes]

im totally sure you will be fine aimee :) your only 21 so really young !well im only 22 so we both are !its so so unlikely its crazy what your mind does I wrote a list out of what I thought I had and it was literally two pages if I have a pain or anything for more than a week I go off on one and that feel of being that terrified is just so awful ,we also really have to trust our docs and dentist I had dentist two weeks a go and there was a mouth cancer sign up on the wall so I got home went crazy on google because I had a white patch in my mouth which I have now decided is probably my braces as it rubs that area a lot ! x

[Aimee92]

Yes it was a 24 hour one that I had to wear around my neck.

I was feeling much better until my tongue felt a little funny on the right hand side. I have a big round smooth bump on the underside of it, which isn't on the left side . Given the fact my dentist didn't check the underside of my tongue, my mind is drifting towards oral cancer again.

A few google searches later (I know bad Aimee, though it may have helped me a bit), I have come to the conclusion it is more likely a swollen sublingual gland that got infected with me poking and prodding my mouth for past week or so. Good god I hope it is, I don't think it was there early but I can't be sure. I can only feel it, I cannot see anything if I look in the mirror.

Given my age and the fact that I do not smoke and don't drink to excess, It's more than likely not cancer.

I have a list of stuff I want to ask the doctor too. I'm sure she'll think I'm crazy, but I honestly feel I have to ask for my peace of mind. The white markings in your mouth more than likely are from your braces, I got them occasionally when I had braces a few years ago.

[Aimee92]

Or not. Shit I think it's my foliate papillae (not sure if it's spelt right) and it goes round to the bottom of my tongue. Seeing as my dentist didn't check there and it's completely painless, not hard but not soft either. Also I can't see it, it's weird. I've now reconvinced myself I have oral cancer. I have also been losing weight for no reason. My scales don't work properly, but I know because my trousers are practically falling off me and I've been tightening my belt for a few weeks now (I think it might be me worrying 24/7 but I'm not sure as I'm still eating).

Honestly terrified and thoroughly convinced I have tongue cancer seeing as the foliate papillae is apparently the most common place it appears :(.

Not looking forward to seeing the doctor on Friday at all. So scared.

[MarkJames3]

Hi Aimee,

I know its hard to listen and take in what people say when you feel like this but i will tell you a few things i have learnt about oral cancer since that was what first started my anxiety off...

I spoke to my dentist one time and she explained to me i was in the lowest possible risk group as i was only 27 and didnt smoke or drink. So it would be extremely rare for me to get it.

She also explained that oral cancer occurs mostly in smokers because they hold the smoke in their mouth and even then its still rare for some one under 50 to get.

The stats about oral cancer in the uk are made up largely of african or black ethnicities as they chew tabacco regularly and cases have risen in the uk because of immigration.

Lastly, a couple of years ago my father who is 70 and smoked 20 a day all hia life was sent for further tests after a dentist visit because they found a white painless patch under his tongue... He is pretty much the main target group for oral cancer... After tests it turned out to be a harmless infection, so even with him being the main target group and symptoms he didnt have it and cancer was at the back of a long line of possible causes.

Im sure you will be fine :-)

[Aimee92]

Hey Mark, thanks for your reply.

That's what I keep telling myself. I'm young, do not smoke, drink in extreme moderation, don't chew, do not have any form of the HPV virus and I'm female.

For all I know it's always been bigger than my left side, I've just never realised. I don't think it has, I honestly can't be sure. It's the fact that it's completely painless that bothers me, as I've read (thanks again Google) that oral cancer usually is.

Given my new discovery I'm not looking forward to my doctors appointment tomorrow morning. Though even if she does think its something completely harmless, I don't think my mind will be at rest unless I had it biopsied or something, just to be 100% sure.