Sublingual salivary gland tumour

[cattia]

I'm worried I have cancer of the sublingual salivary gland. I noticed some irritation there a couple of days ago and when I looked one side under my tongue is clearly much more pronounced than the other. I'm obviously not expecting anyone here to be able to give a medical opinion. Trouble is I'm trying not to go to the doctor every five minutes for reassurance, aside from which I highly doubt they will even take me seriously given how many appointments I've had recently. Like a complete idiot I googled and saw a whole load of references to cancer. I don't know how I can leave this and not get it checked. I'm definitely not imagining the fact that one side is considerably larger than the other. How will I get better if these new symptoms keep cropping up that I feel really need a medical opinion? I just don't know what to do. I really want an emergency appointment.

[pulisa]

If you are really desperate pay to see an emergency dentist and don't use NHS overstretched resources. Be prepared to be asked how on earth you reached your "diagnosis" though?

[cattia]

I have a private dentist but I don't know if they would be able to do anything? A few years ago I noticed a significant asymmetry to my face and the doctor referred me for an emergency scan to rule out a tumour in the parotid gland. It came back clear and they concluded that it was just one of those things but the dentist wasn't able to do anything as it required an ultrasound so the doctor had to refer me. I would actually like to get a private GP because I worry a lot about overusing the NHS, however the nearest one to me is 30 miles away and it's very difficult for me to get there:

[axolotl]

You know one of the first signs you have health anxiety bad is when you start using phrases like "cancer of the sublingual salivary gland". Regular folk should not even know what that means.

Have you seen a doctor about your health anxiety?

[cattia]

You are so right, it's absurd that I even know this stuff. Yes I discuss my anxiety every time I speak to the doctor about a Heath concern. I went on medication in the summer but I came off it after six weeks because I was so ill I couldn't function. I see a counsellor every week: I'm using every strategy I can but nothing is helping, I'm just getting worse. I really want to beat this but I'm not at all sure I can any more.

[axolotl]

You are so right, it's absurd that I even know this stuff. Yes I discuss my anxiety every time I speak to the doctor about a Heath concern. I went on medication in the summer but I came off it after six weeks because I was so ill I couldn't function. I see a counsellor every week: I'm using every strategy I can but nothing is helping, I'm just getting worse. I really want to beat this but I'm not at all sure I can any more.

Are you in England? If you don't think you're getting anywhere with your GP you can self-refer to IAPT if so and see if they have any recommendations. You mention counselling but what about CBT?

It may take a while to find the right thing, but you can get better and don't lose sight of that or it'll drag you in further!

[cattia]

Thanks. I had a course of cBT through Italk. The counsellor I see now is trained in CBT but also other methods. I've only been seeing her about six weeks so I guess I need to give it a bit more time. I just can't seem to stop the panic every time I notice a new symptom. I'm in such a tailspin over this: the only thing that stopped me going to the emergency doctor tonight was that I'm on my own with my kids so I couldn't leave the house!

[axolotl]

Thanks. I had a course of cBT through Italk. The counsellor I see now is trained in CBT but also other methods. I've only been seeing her about six weeks so I guess I need to give it a bit more time. I just can't seem to stop the panic every time I notice a new symptom. I'm in such a tailspin over this: the only thing that stopped me going to the emergency doctor tonight was that I'm on my own with my kids so I couldn't leave the house!

Yes, it's early days, don't write it off. :)

[cattia]

although it's still swollen it looks marginally better today. I know I need to leave it a few more days before I rush to the doctor with it. It's so hard as I really want to go but I know I have to try not to be so knee jerk about everything. I'm going to try to leave it over the weekend and also try to limit how much checking I do because I'm checking my mouth all the time.

[pulisa]

Dentists will check for oral lesions at every check up appointment. My guess is that you have started to inspect your mouth and are finding features that you have never scrutinised thoroughly before. Everything looks a bit weird in the mouth because we don't normally look in it...not unless we have HA.

If you can get through the weekend without checking obsessively you may find that you can reason with yourself more rationally as to whether you really do have something which needs to be examined or whether you have totally overreacted and "diagnosed" yourself with something from Dr Google's rich encyclopaedia of sinister pathologies...

[cattia]

Thanks pulisa. I'm going to try to set times to check as that's helped me in the past not to check non stop.

[pulisa]

Yes that's a good idea.I know how hard this is but the more you check the more convinced you will be etc etc. You know this anyway of course.