Tonsil cancer - sure of it

[ballerina]

I have a lump on my left tonsil that has been there around a month. My lymph nodes have ballooned up on that side and are painful. The inside of my ear hurts. I saw the doctor about two weeks ago and she said "it's a virus" told me to wait for it to go away and had me in the room for all of one minute. I don't trust doctors at all.

I'm so scared, I can't think what else it can be.

I don't smoke, apart from having a few social cigarettes rarely. I drink but only what I'd call normal for a young person. I had the hpv vaccine when I was 14 and was told I couldn't catch hpv. Yet I was recently diagnosed with it. What the hell.

I'm so scared this is tonsil cancer caused by hpv.

I've gone on a bunch of cancer forums where people are describing symptoms similar to me and they say they were fobbed off 100s of times before insisting to be seen and then they were diagnosed.

I don't know what to do with myself, I don't even see the point in going back to my doctor, all she's ever done is fob me off.

I can't find any other explanations on the internet besides cancer :( It says this type of cancer is rising rapidly in young people due to hpv infections.

I am completely beside myself.

This is what it looks like

[Potter86]

That looks like an abcess to me

[AntsyVee]

You’re sick and your tonsil is swollen. That’s why she told you to go home.

You need to rest, drink lots of liquids and treat the symptoms with cold medicine.

[ballerina]

You’re sick and your tonsil is swollen. That’s why she told you to go home.

You need to rest, drink lots of liquids and treat the symptoms with cold medicine.

It's been like this for 6 weeks at least though

[jojo2316]

To me, that looks like swelling, not a solid mass. Can you upload a pic of the other one for comparison?
Swollen tonsils are SO SO common. Tonsil cancer is not.

[ballerina]

To me, that looks like swelling, not a solid mass. Can you upload a pic of the other one for comparison?
Swollen tonsils are SO SO common. Tonsil cancer is not.

Here we go, see the weird nodule on the right (actually my left tonsil but obviously camera is back to front)

I guess I'll have to go back to the doctors, but she treats me like a lunatic, not once has she actually listened to my concerns, I think I'll have to try and see someone else

[Annaboodle]

Hello. It looks like your tonsil is swollen, so your doctor's advice is good I think. I had tonsillitis loads when I was younger and my tonsils are a gnarled mess and tend to get very inflamed whenever I have any sort of viral infection. If you saw my tonsils, you'd think there was something majorly wrong with me too because of how they look. There isn't, but we're both not doctors so don't know what we're looking for.

I would avoid cancer forums all together as it's just ramping up your HA. Also I'm sure you know this, but obviously never to post on them.

The HPV vaccine protects against some strains of hpv but not all. They wouldn't have told you that as you were 14 at the time (my daughter is 12 and getting hers soon, but I'm not going to tell her anything beyond that it protects her against cervical cancer).

You've jumped from being told you've got a virus to having cancer with no possibilities in between. Hopefully you can see this is just your HA taking hold and can rationalise your way out of it.

---------- Post added at 11:50 ---------- Previous post was at 11:46 ----------

... they both look inflamed to me. Not in a way that's remotely worrying though beyond might be a nasty viral thing or tonsillitis way, if that helps at all.

[Potter86]

Here we go, see the weird nodule on the right (actually my left tonsil but obviously camera is back to front)

I guess I'll have to go back to the doctors, but she treats me like a lunatic, not once has she actually listened to my concerns, I think I'll have to try and see someone elseis there not more than one doctor at your surgery?

[ballerina]

Thank you everyone. I just don't know why there's that one little bit that sticks straight out that didn't used to be there! But I'm a little calmer after seeing your replies.
Ugh I'm such a mess. I'm aware of how ridiculous I sound, my mum said "you have a tonsil infection like every other person."
Her boyfriend is like "you're so selfish I've heard people with actual cancer complain less that you" and it's not complaining... it's reassurance seeking.
I'm aware health anxiety is a selfish illness, but at the same time I didn't ask to have this disorder, a little kindness would go a long way.

---------- Post added at 12:29 ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 ----------


is there not more than one doctor at your surgery?

Yes, but they give you an appointment with 'your' doctor

[jojo2316]

Ok I can see the thing you are talking about but it doesn't look worrying- it looks like it's made of smooth healthy tonsil tissue. I really don't think it is anything to worry about. But you ARE worried and I think it is important you feel listened to.
Ask to see a different doctor!

[Leslie735]

Looks to me your tonsil is swollen. This happened to me last year. I caught a bout of tonsillitis and my right tonsil swelled up but my left one didn't. I didn't worry about it, figured it was normal. Well the tonsil never went back down. This was in December 2015. Then in November 2016 I caught it again and it swelled up further and stayed big but my left one was completely normal. I saw my ENT surgeon doctor and he advised I get it out since it was just one, just to be safe but he was sure it was just chronically infected from the tonsillitis and its very common for that to happen. So I had my right tonsil removed in December 2016. It went through pathology and came back just as he said, chronically infected and full of stones (which I couldn't see or knew I had). I wish now I had my left one out too because I'm afraid it'll do the same thing then I"ll have to do that surgery over again. Not a good time.

[ballerina]

Looks to me your tonsil is swollen. This happened to me last year. I caught a bout of tonsillitis and my right tonsil swelled up but my left one didn't. I didn't worry about it, figured it was normal. Well the tonsil never went back down. This was in December 2015. Then in November 2016 I caught it again and it swelled up further and stayed big but my left one was completely normal. I saw my ENT surgeon doctor and he advised I get it out since it was just one, just to be safe but he was sure it was just chronically infected from the tonsillitis and its very common for that to happen. So I had my right tonsil removed in December 2016. It went through pathology and came back just as he said, chronically infected and full of stones (which I couldn't see or knew I had). I wish now I had my left one out too because I'm afraid it'll do the same thing then I"ll have to do that surgery over again. Not a good time.

Sounds similar to me! I had a bout of tonsillitis at christmas 2013 which had me in bed for the whole of christmas day. I swear they've never been the same since. It was my same doctor who was like "there's nothing wrong with them" then I went to the out of hours gp at the hospital on a weekend and he was like "that's tonsilitis here's some antibiotics".

I think I'm going to ask for a different doctor, and see what they say. And try and get antibiotics and/or an appointment with an ENT.

I know my HA is flaring up because even if this gets resolved I think I'm just going to look for something else to obsess over. I'm not having a great time right now as I'm trying to find a job and living at home with my mum is driving me crazy. I have little distraction from HA compared to what I used to.