View Full Version : Crying in fear of oral cancer
I thought all the fears were gone. I have come to understand how stupid my fear over some past symptoms were but today I cried out loud because of a "new" symptom I found.
I have had a little bump in the roof of my mouth for around a year or more. I remember it feeling like a grain of sand under the palatal skin back then and I didn't really bother about it and eventually forgot about it. I became aware of it again now that I had a dentist's annual checkup a month ago. After the checkup I just randomly checked my mouth myself and then remembered the "grain of sand" on the palate. I checked it, it felt similar as before but this time I wanted to see it myself. I couldn't just use a bathroom mirror as my teeth blocked the view so I grabbed a small mirror and used two to see there. I WAS SHOCKED. It looked like a proper lump and not just a small grain-of-sand-pimple. Ever since that day, for a week I kept feeling the area with my tongue. AND THEN I decided I needed to poke it with my fingernail. I actually made it bleed and as I become more anxious I poked it more, it almost came of. Eventually I just scraped it off entirely. :shrug: I think I swallowed it by accident.
And then, ever since that day, I have been checked the are in the mirror, feeling the area with my tongue and Googling almost daily. Obviously, for the first few days the area had a bleeding hole, then it healed and then a bumpy growth grew there. AND TODAY I have been literally crying because I checked the area again and it seems the lump is growing back! :weep:
At least the area doesn't have any resemblance on oral cancer lesions. Occasionally, when I googled palatal lump etc, I came across pictures that were a bit similar and I grew more anxious but then I remembered that my lump is only a couple of millimetres in diameter. :)
I have attached some photos below. Bear in mind they are inside of my mouth and they could gross you out!
https://i.imgur.com/UAiK4Lj.jpg (1mo ago)
https://i.imgur.com/HDvUb11.jpg (now)
So, I did have a dentist's checkup a month ago. He checked my teeth and the mucous membranes. My mind just tells me he did not spot it because he did not say any comments on it. I checked the appointment's records online, and he had written there that the membranes were alright.
nomorepanic
07-08-18, 20:23
So all is good then if the dentist looked at found nothing. They would spot oral cancer a mile off.
I'm an oral cancer survivor.
First off, your dentist is a medically trained professional that would spot something as suspicious of oral cancer.
Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.
You said you've noticed it being there for over a year. If it were cancer, you wouldn't be here.
Positive thoughts
So all is good then if the dentist looked at found nothing. They would spot oral cancer a mile off.
Thanks for reply. I just have read online that oral cancer is hard to spot - even by a dentist. Then I checked the Finnish national dentistry page (im Finnish) and read that oral cancer is easily spotted at a normal checkup. I don't know what to believe.
I'm an oral cancer survivor.
First off, your dentist is a medically trained professional that would spot something as suspicious of oral cancer.
Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.
You said you've noticed it being there for over a year. If it were cancer, you wouldn't be here.
Positive thoughts
Thanks! That quote reassures me a lot. I don't want to Google anymore but I assume oral cancer spreads really fast then (?).
I just want to know what it is. I know I won't find the answer on this page (or anywhere the internet) but I just want to hear I can wait till the next dentist's appointment and ask about it then. My next checkup is after 2.5 years as the dentist said, that despite some minor gum inflammation in some areas that can be resolved by flossing, everything is fine!
My anxious mind just tells me he did not check my palate! ...because would he check that of a 20-year-old person? I suppose the checkup is similar despite your age and all that but WHAT IF... Oh no, here we again! :ohmy:
Your dentist would absolutely have spotted it. They shine a very bright light in your mouth and look all around. A checkup is not just your teeth.
It’s probably worse at the moment because you made it bleed, please try to distract yourself with something healthier than gauging out the roof of your mouth [emoji6].
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Your dentist would absolutely have spotted it. They shine a very bright light in your mouth and look all around. A checkup is not just your teeth.
Yeah that's true. Anything sinister should be easy to spot. I am gradually starting to realize the reason (or one of them) behind my HA. I am starting my Uni studies this month, I got a really nice apartment and everything is going so well. Meanwhile, my mind goes "it would be a shame if something sinister happened". I think it was the same deal last year when I was obsessed with my nodes. I got a really nice job for a year and then out of nowhere I was worried over my health.
Human mind can be perplexing; I always have taken quite good care of my teeth but then I read on the news that gum disease and bad oral hygiene of old women (I am guy in his 20s) can lead to cancer. I went furious if my "bad" oral hygiene will impact my health! I started to floss twice a day actually and bought mouth wash even tho I have never used it before as dentists do not really recommend using it.
I just want someone to tell me that I can follow the dental plan made by my dentist: annual checkups every 2.5 years if no symptoms come up.
nomorepanic
07-08-18, 22:16
can you explain this please:
annual checkups every 2.5 years if no symptoms come up.
It could be a wart - I had a wart removed from the roof of my mouth. The dentist referred me.
can you explain this please:
annual checkups every 2.5 years if no symptoms come up.
It could be a wart - I had a wart removed from the roof of my mouth. The dentist referred me.
Haha, yeah. I meant regular checkups every 2.5 years. Before I had annual as students younger than 20 get (actually have to!) to visit the dentist once a year for free. Now that I will be an university student, the dentist made me a personal plan where checkups will be every 2.5 years. I really love the health care system here. Also the dentists are really well educated in Finland.
I don't think mine is a wart tho (if it was I would go furious over having papilloma in my mouth etc!) lol. It doesn't have that cauliflower texture. But anyhow, the dentist didn't say anything about it. I need to understand it doesn't mean he didn't notice it or anything but probably that those are common.
My sister had like the very, very early stages of a rare oral cancer and she noticed nothing. The dentist noticed right away tho at her check up. They do know what to spot!! She's just fine now. Trust in them :) they are very trained in seeing these things even if you didn't tell them about it.
My sister had like the very, very early stages of a rare oral cancer and she noticed nothing. The dentist noticed right away tho at her check up. They do know what to spot!! She's just fine now. Trust in them :) they are very trained in seeing these things even if you didn't tell them about it.
Sorry to hear that, hope she is fine now!
Well, they are called "check-ups" not "ask-the-doc" appointments. I was positively surprised that in that checkup he even checked the nodes under my jaw. Before a dentist hasn't checked them, maybe they have new guidelines to follow or something. Anyway, I feel a lot better now. I just think my gum hurts between teeth! Hopefully the area won't get inflamed :scared15: At least that would be an excuse to visit the dentist and ask about the palate too. :winks:
Now I just need to wipe the images of other people's palates off of my mind. I googled probably 20 different terms and saw hundreds of google images on different oral disorders, tumors and lesions. Whoa, now that I think about it... I would call someone who does that out of their minds. :doh: Weird that I did not find anything even remotely similar to my growth. Well, probably that means it's not sinister then. You won't find that many pics of normal anatomy on google images when you google lumps and masses. lol
nomorepanic
07-08-18, 23:34
Mine just felt like a small soft lump - I never knew it was a wart.
Every 2.5 years is a long time. I go every 10 months and 6-10 months would be normal.
Are you not in the UK?
Mine just felt like a small soft lump - I never knew it was a wart.
Every 2.5 years is a long time. I go every 10 months and 6-10 months would be normal.
Are you not in the UK?
I'm actually Finnish. The dentist made me such a plan because according to him everything was fine in my mouth and I'm 20 years old.
nomorepanic
07-08-18, 23:53
Oh ok but when you registered you said you lived in the UK.
Oh ok but when you registered you said you lived in the UK.
Cannot remember how that got picked and haven't changed it. :)
Thanks a lot for your replies!
nomorepanic
08-08-18, 00:02
You can still change it in your profile :-)
You are welcome
You can still change it in your profile :-)
You are welcome
Cheers, now everyone can see the blue-cross flag!
About the lump: I had made a post on a dentistry forum where patients could ask for help from two American dentists - I think it was a mistake. The dentist told me that I cannot be sure my dentist checked my palate, it looks like a fibroma or an HPV caused squamous papilloma and that in either case I would need to show it to a dentist. :wacko:
It does look like a fibroma caused by irritation but now I am really scared I've got HPV and will get oral cancer if this bump is not already malignant. Don't all warts look like cauliflower? I just read the whole Wikipedia article on HPV and all the 100 different subtypes and got some reassurance that HPV that causes warts, does not cause cancer but what if I've got at least two types. I do have one common wart on my face and I've had it since I was like 2 or 3. A nurse once checked it and told me that it will not be removed because it will leave quite a scar and as it's so close to my eye, freezing it will be more dangerous than leaving it there (as common warts won't become sinister).
Now I am back in the state of fearing of getting some other type of cancer; maybe the penile type, maybe throat cancer caused by HPV or then just oral cancer. :shrug:
I'm trying to be rational: the dentist said so because it's true; he cannot be certain my dentist checked the palate but I'm pretty sure he did, however. Also, why would it be HPV-caused? I am 99% sure I'm not infected due to my not-active sexual activity. lol
On top of that, what if it was a wart? Most people have or will get HPV, they live with it, some get warts, some don't but most importantly, most won't get cancer from the virus.
Maybe I should go study more probability:
low chance of HPV * young age * healthy lifestyle * visiting health care professionals regularly
EQUALS: low risk :yesyes:
nomorepanic
08-08-18, 00:23
I am being treated for a lot of warts because of the HPV virus and some people just have it but it doesn't mean I have cancer or am going to get it but treating my warts is really hard because of my low immune system.
As I said the wart in my mouth was just a small bump that was smooth in texture.
I am being treated for a lot of warts because of the HPV virus and some people just have it but it doesn't mean I have cancer or am going to get it but treating my warts is really hard because of my low immune system.
As I said the wart in my mouth was just a small bump that was smooth in texture.
Sorry to hear you get many warts. Thankfully they are usually just an aesthetic problem and will never turn into anything sinister.
I have been thinking about it. The lump in my mouth could very well be a wart but I'm speculating how I could have gotten it. Basically everyone has the wart causing HPV on their skin had they warts or not. But not everyone has HPV in their mouth. Of course, I might have gotten it from somewhere, even at birth as recent studies show that if the mother has HPV, the child will quite frankly have it too. But does it matter? Nah as far as it's not any of those cancer causing subtypes.
Thanks for pointing out that a wart doesn't always look like a wart! :winks:
I bet dentists are used to seeing warts but do not treat them as they will not turn malignant (nor usually cause other symptoms). HPV is just a pain in the but, quite literally for some people unfortunately. I just have to keep in mind that 8/10 of people have it, most never get any symptoms from it, including cancer.
It's just a good cause of HA because you cannot really be tested for HPV (apart from the cancer screening for women which does not test for all types however).
Starting to feel better again! :D
I made an appointment with a dental hygienist who also does mucous membrane illness pre-diagnoses. In case they think it's sinister, they will obviously refer me to a dentist or suggest me to see an oral surgeon or an ENT.
Now I am just scared. I read online that hygienists may just ignore such things as trivial. What if it is caused by an HPV that also causes DNA mutations? It is know that even removing the wart does not remove the virus. I don't know. Maybe if an oral surgeon decides to remove it, they most likely will send it to a pathologist but can they check what kind of HPV it has, cancer causing or not? At least they can tell if it is malignant right now.
nomorepanic
08-08-18, 14:47
It may not be a wart so let them look at it first.
Just to pre-warn you mine was a tiny bump and after they removed it and it healed over it is a much bigger bump in its place!
It may not be a wart so let them look at it first.
Just to pre-warn you mine was a tiny bump and after they removed it and it healed over it is a much bigger bump in its place!
I am just scared I messed everything up by scraping it off with my finger before. Now the are is kind of smooth. Only that slight bump is noticeable. (pic 2) :shrug:
I cannot sleep thinking I might have ruined everything. Why did I scrape the vicious thing off back then? What am I going to say to the hygienist? How are they gonna know what it is or was based on the little bit what is left there?
Do I tell he or she that there was a small bump which I was afraid off and applied some force to it so it fell off? What's left is what's left?
I'm sure it'll be ignored as something trivial. I cannot help blaming myself. :weep:
nomorepanic
09-08-18, 00:15
Yes tell them
It probably was something trivial
Yes tell them
It probably was something trivial
I just made an appointment at a private dental clinic today. I will ask a dentist about it. Have to tell him also that I actually scraped the growth off myself because I was so furious over it. Hopefully he understands. The appointment will be in just a moment!
I just made an appointment at a private dental clinic today.
Came back from the dentist's office just a while ago and he seemed really professional. His office was in a 1800s old building and the place was really amazing itself! Anyway, he said that my teeth and gums are healthy, only some signs of some low-degree gum disease which should go away by just brushing and flossing.
When it comes to the little growth, he obviously had hard time finding it. Eventually he noticed the little scar tissue bump and I said I actually punctured the area with my fingernail and eventually it totally scraped off. He said that now it's off of you mouth at least! Haha.
He said it was most probably an irritational bump or a virus-based growth. I asked if he was referring to a papilloma and he said yeah. He said there is absolutely no need to be afraid of it though as it's gone now and has not come back after one month. Also, if it still was there, it wouldn't be of concern because papillomas tend to be quite common, he said. Only if they grow, change or there are other factor that suggest a biopsy should be made, then you should be a bit concerned.
I have a healthy palate tho! He said I should visit a dentist after 2 years. :yahoo:
3 days wasted crying and worrying the worst. Now I know there probably was a papilloma there so in case it changes in the future, I will know with minumal latency!
3 days wasted crying and worrying the worst.
I'm an oral cancer survivor.
First off, your dentist is a medically trained professional that would spot something as suspicious of oral cancer.
Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. It doesn't come and go nor does it stop once it starts.
You said you've noticed it being there for over a year. If it were cancer, you wouldn't be here.
Compliments of your friendly neighborhood "Told Ya So Gang" :winks:
https://media.giphy.com/media/ZgGYYD5nplsAg/giphy.gif
Positive thoughts
Compliments of your friendly neighborhood "Told Ya So Gang" :winks:
https://media.giphy.com/media/ZgGYYD5nplsAg/giphy.gif
Positive thoughts
Haha. I wish I would have functioned as a normal person and realized that by myself or listened to you!
The first dentist was in a government-paid hospital and the one I visited today was at a private, quite expensive clinic. It's just sad that in Finland there is that narrative of public health care being only for the ones that cannot afford seeing "a proper doctor" and that the docs and dentists only check the books for symptoms and just guess what something is.
It's the polar opposite in reality. They have studies medicine for 7 or 9 years, many of them have a long career behind them. Scandinavia is known for really top-tier health care, I don't know why we ourselves make the public system seem bad! :lac: (I think in my unconscious mind, I thought the first dentist was less competent and wanted a second opinion.)
I am slowly starting to realize that one visit is enough, I saw a doc about my nodes a year ago. I did not really believe what I heard so I saw another one, one specialist took tests and I wasn't convinced. Then I saw two more and eventually realized that maybe they are right and I am just spoiled with a lot of disinformation from the net!
I wish there was a browser plugin or something that blocked all health sites on the internet. :D
I wish there was a browser plugin or something that blocked all health sites on the internet. :D
There are plug ins for browsers with parental controls that can help block and limit access to sites and you can input key words as well as URLS. If you're going to do it, you need assistance from a relative or friend that can set the passwords so you can't bypass them.
I've yet to know of anyone that had the willpower to do this but if you really want to limit your web access to health related sites and subjects it's a start. It's not perfect but it's a heck of a lot better than spending hours looking up cancer stories :winks:
Positive thoughts
There are plug ins for browsers with parental controls that can help block and limit access to sites and you can input key words as well as URLS. If you're going to do it, you need assistance from a relative or friend that can set the passwords so you can't bypass them.
I've yet to know of anyone that had the willpower to do this but if you really want to limit your web access to health related sites and subjects it's a start. It's not perfect but it's a heck of a lot better than spending hours looking up cancer stories :winks:
Positive thoughts
I am actually a student of computer science and software engineering so I might actually attempt to make a plugin that blocks sites based on data in a database. The database would have to be populated first so hopefully there is a public list with health sites. :)
Well, I could block traffic to sites with some keywords in the URLs in my home network but it might just render some non-harmful sites inaccesable.
Maybe the best option is to just use my own willpower to avoid those sites!
It's just so hard. First I think I can find reassurance there but actually just read stories on the worst case scenario and usually even on different illness.
A doctor can examine me in person, use his knowledge he has acquired from reliable sources and make a diagnosis whereas I am just feeding my medically uneducated mind with unreliable data online and using my nonexistent ability to make a diagnosis to figure out what the symptoms are.
I am going back to Uni (or college if you wanna call it that) this autumn. This means I have got the student health care system at my disposal. If I still get these HA outbreaks during my studies, I am definitely going to see a professional - it's totally free for students!
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