New worry, oral cancer

[Meesk]

Hello I'm back, I posted a fear about Meningitis before and I've seen a therapist about health anxiety, but despite that I found a small bump in my gums in the front. It doesn't hurt when I eat and its mostly painless unless i touch it too much, which I find myself doing a lot. I had about three pinches of smokeless tobacco before it showed up, don't really like it so I haven't had any since.. it's pretty gross and bad for me so I'm glad i didn't get into it. I googled much more than I should've, and of course google told me my lump was oral cancer and smokeless tobacco is the leading cause, I'm much younger than the average person diagnosed and I'm about eighteen.. I can't see the bump that well in the mirror and its the same color as my gums, but looking closely I can see it, it's easier to see with a flashlight. It's been two days and it hasn't gotten any bigger or smaller, going to the dentist for a routine cleaning, should I maybe ask him about it? I keep poking at it and scratching it to try and pop whatever it is because it feels like something is inside the gum.

Thank you for reading, I'm sorry to take time out of your days for this.

[Fishmanpa]

I'm an oral cancer survivor. Besides your age, that's just not how cancer happens/works.

Positive thoughts

[KK77]

I'm an oral cancer survivor. Besides your age, that's just not how cancer happens.

Positive thoughts

It's very sad that such young people are fearing diseases from exposure to such trivial things, whereas the older generations used to drink, smoke as well as live in far more polluted cities without a care for their health - unless they had an arm hanging off or collapsed when getting out of bed.

The elephant in the room is all the scaremongering modern day technology is spewing out daily :lac:

[Fishmanpa]

It's very sad that such young people are fearing diseases from exposure to such trivial things, whereas the older generations used to drink, smoke as well as live in far more polluted cities without a care for their health - unless they had an arm hanging off or collapsed when getting out of bed.

The elephant in the room is all the scaremongering modern day technology is spewing out daily :lac:

Very true. When I was around 7-8 years old, the city I lived in would send these mosquito spray trucks down the streets. It would send out a huge cloud of white insectacide chemicals. My buddies and I would run and ride our bikes through it! I remember it having kind of a flowery smell. Life has changed so much from when I was a kid. Holy &1%@! I'm starting to talk my age! ~lol~

Positive thoughts

[Meesk]

Agreed, can confirm most of my fears started off from scaremongering from the early 2000s growing up, they'd tell you not to smoke or go near people who are smoking because you'll get cancer even at a young age even from secondhand. The constant articles about rare disease rates skyrocketing with little or no sources. My anxiety has somewhat gotten better AFTER I cut out all the scaremongering stuff you can find on google. And the anxiety came back when I googled, and all I did was google "lump" and "gum" and pages of oral cancer as a result and pages like "oral cancer in youth greatly increasing"

I feel pretty silly from this, but I'm DONE googling anything health related.

[KK77]

Agreed, can confirm most of my fears started off from scaremongering from the early 2000s growing up, they'd tell you not to smoke or go near people who are smoking because you'll get cancer even at a young age even from secondhand. The constant articles about rare disease rates skyrocketing with little or no sources. My anxiety has somewhat gotten better AFTER I cut out all the scaremongering stuff you can find on google. And the anxiety came back when I googled, and all I did was google "lump" and "gum" and pages of oral cancer as a result and pages like "oral cancer in youth greatly increasing"

I feel pretty silly from this, but I'm DONE googling anything health related.

Really pleased that you'll no longer be Googling and that our posts helped!

Onwards and upwards ;)