View Full Version : Worried to death over cancer
So I am quitting smoking finally (trying my best) but of course have extreme anxiety that the bad choice I made is going to kill me. I am 23 years old with a geographic tongue, and when I look at my mouth of course I think I see things that scream cancer according to Doctor Google. My problem is that I DO see bumps on my tongue every now and then, or what look like cuts under it. All red, no white so far. I also have severe acid reflux so I also have to worry about those symptoms not being from the acid but something worse. I do have trouble swallowing every now and then which is usually fixed by taking my anxiety meds or not overeating.
My problem is that I see the smallest things and think the worst, a red bump or patch on the side of my tongue, difficulty swallowing, a white line under my top lip. (Not painful and I think my last dentist saw it but said nothing.) Since I live in the rural US with a very tight budget it is very hard to get help I need.
ToasterOvens
16-06-18, 02:49
Good luck quitting! Its a smart thing to do, especially with anxiety.
I'm pretty sure the chances of any type of oral cancer at 23 are really really really low. I mean... I know a ton of smokers. Old. Young. Many packs a day. I still don't even know one person who had oral cancer.
My dad chewed and had a scare once. Biopsy and it was nothing. He quit long enough ago that his chances now are tiny.
Good luck quitting! Its a smart thing to do, especially with anxiety.
I'm pretty sure the chances of any type of oral cancer at 23 are really really really low. I mean... I know a ton of smokers. Old. Young. Many packs a day. I still don't even know one person who had oral cancer.
My dad chewed and had a scare once. Biopsy and it was nothing. He quit long enough ago that his chances now are tiny.
Thank you so much for the answer. And yeah, I am trying really hard. It's always "just one more" then it gets harder. I was able to stay off of them for two weeks after a dental surgery once, so I can do this. Just need a little encouragement lol.
ToasterOvens
16-06-18, 17:13
I'm not a doctor, just some random dude on the internet... but I doubt you have anything to worry about. That's based off of me worrying about it in the past and looking up the incidence rate for OC at our age. I've had countless sores, cuts, scrapes, etc in my mouth. All unexplained.
A dentist trip would calm all fears. But I don't know your situation. If you've been to one recently... I think you have less reason to worry. Cancer isn't an overnight thing.
I'm rooting for you to quit. A few of my friends tapered off using vapes.
Now I have noticed one side of my tongue is slightly swollen on the side, a little red when I move and look closer. It isn't painful but has me worried.
This is what that side looks like now.
One more thing, and sorry I keep commenting, but I do have geographic and fissured tongue. So some of the things can be explained by that, I have always had a weird looking tongue.
One more thing, and sorry I keep commenting, but I do have geographic and fissured tongue. So some of the things can be explained by that, I have always had a weird looking tongue.
So if you've always had it, why is it an issue now?
Positive thoughts
So if you've always had it, why is it an issue now?
Positive thoughts
The bump is recent and I don't know what it is, but there is an even newer very tiny white speck in the back of my tongue, which is red when I touch it. Doesn't bleed but looks like it wants to.
Quitting smoking is the greatest choice you can make, smoking is one of those habits which raises the risk of cancer tenfold, it is a miserable way to die if your lungs are wrecked to hell by decades of that smog. It does not guarantee you will avoid associated cancers but your odds are slashed significantly. It's a lottery, some smokers will live to 100, some smokers will die at 40, some non smokers can get all kinds of cancer, lessen your chances is the only thing to do. Quitting at 23 is a lot better than quitting at 63 and you will also nip in the bud the 'maybe I can quit at 33, I'm still young' dilemma where you absorb a decade of degradation.
I thought I'd put in my two bits for quitting smoking. My husband has Stage 4 Lung Cancer and has never smoked a cigarette in his life. He is the victim of second hand smoke. Both of his parents smoked during his youth. My husband's father got lung cancer, but it was discovered early and was easily cured. Unfortunately, my husband's cancer had already spread throughout his body before it was discovered.
If you can't stop smoking for yourself, do it for your loved ones who live with you. You just might be saving their lives along with your own. :yesyes:
BTW Sammors, the side of my tongue looks like that sometimes. I don't know what causes it. I've sometimes wondered if I grind my teeth in the night and it causes friction to my tongue. It usually goes away within a week though.
I think you are fine. You are too young to worry about oral cancer. The trick is to stop looking at your tongue. Whenever I look too close anywhere there is always something I find to worry about.
The bump is recent and I don't know what it is, but there is an even newer very tiny white speck in the back of my tongue, which is red when I touch it. Doesn't bleed but looks like it wants to.
I'm an oral cancer survivor. I know about it intimately. Your age alone makes this a non-issue. Have there been cases of OC at 23? Yep. With a world population of over 7.5 billion, you're sure to find a couple of cases. I'll say with 100% confidence that you will not be the first person diagnosed on this forum in the five yeas I've been participating.
All that said, quitting is paramount and I commend you 100% for making that decision. I'm a former smoker and weaned myself off of nicotine by vaping. Ironically. I made that decision when my cancer first came around. By the time I was diagnosed, I was using a 0% nicotine cartridge. I can say that quitting because you want to is better than quitting because you have to.
Positive thoughts
Positive thoughts
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