Possible cancer diagnosis. Need help!

MichiganMan

Hello. I am a new member here. I am yet to be diagnosed with cancer but fear that I may be in the very early stages of it. I am looking for help/advice on what to do, as my primary care and ENT have basically said they won't see me to discuss my cancer-esque symptoms anymore. 

For the past 8 weeks I've had pretty much the same symptoms. I am early 30s, and a little overweight. 

The first symptom I had was a very dry throat that lasted about two weeks. Not a typical dry throat though. On a scale of 1-10 it was a 10. I was drinking nothing but soup and tea day in and day out. I found some momentary relief from this but generally the throat remained dry. (No fever, no cough, no other symptoms)

The next week or so is when my neck pain really began getting worse. Swallowing began hurting. I would wake up barely able to move my tongue! I noticed a white spot on the inside of my cheeck too near my tonsil. I also felt my tonsil getting hard and when I pushed on it what looked like white/yellow puss would come out. (Still no fever, no cough, no other real symptoms. Throat still dry near the back and uvula)

The next week or so is when ear pain started. It was also tough to swallow at this point. Then the back of my throat felt like it was pulsating and it looked discolored with some red spots. The pain eventually made it all the way to my lower neck region, which was throbbing a lot! My thyroid/Adam's apple area was very painful.

I finally was able to get into my primary care. I was prescribed 10 days of penicillin.

Took the penicillin but to no avail. Still dry throat, difficulty swallowing, etc. I went to the ENT. He felt my neck (no bumps or anything other than a "fatty tissue" that he said was benign on the back side of my lower neck). Then he looked in my throat with a light. He said the left tonsil was slightly larger than my other one (which it was for several weeks) but that it wasn't concerning.I told him I am in agony and it feels like there is something stuck in my throat when I swallow and that my throat just doesnt feel right! He dismissed me and said to relax.

Well, I couldn't relax. (I used chewing tobacco and smoked ciagrettes from about 18 until late 20s. I quit several years ago but about 2 months ago had a tin and a pack of cigarettes. I am fearful that doing that trigged something). I had him scope my throat through my nose. He looked at my vocal cords and said I am "fine."

That diagnosis (which was about 2 weeks ago) relaxed me a little but the pain I've been having hasn't gone away. I also had a little "blood" spot/blister on the back of my throat. The ENT saw it too but said it was normal and likely just a result of the veins in my throat being so tender, or something. It has since gone away.

I went back to my primary care last week for a follow up to seek answers but he also dismissed me saying I should just relax and that the pain will pass in time.

Well, it's week 8 and I am going crazy not knowing what is wrong with me. Again, I dont have a fever, I dont get chills, but my throat feels like it is on fire sometimes, especially after eating. I havent touched alcohol since these symptoms began. My left tonsil definitly is harder than my right one, and my Adam's apple region feels wierd. About a week ago I  pushed super hard on my left tonsil. More puss, to my surprise, came out! 

Swallowing doesn't cause as much pain as it used to but my neck feels like there is something in it at all times. My lower neck muscles feel tender as well.

I've felt around my neck and there are no real bumps or enlarged lymph nodes, other than a small one under my left side jaw area that feesl like a pea. The other side of my neck doesn't have this. Both my primary and the ENT said the bump was normal.

I don't know what else to do. I've never had a sore throat/neck pain for this long. I dont want it to be early signs of cancer due to tobacco. What should I do? I'm going crazy drinking tea and soup every day. Should I push for blood work? A CT Scan/PET Scan? I am very new to all this.

I've diangosed myself as having a strange case of viral tonsilitis, but am not firm in that diagnosis at all.

As a final note: in the past several years, whenever I would use chewing tobacco, my body would take about a day or two to recover. My neck would be sore for about 24-hours. Well, all of these symptoms I am having started just days after I had a chew and smoked a cigarette. I've stopped since then, and don't want to ever use tobacco again. 

Any advice would be most appreciated. My primary has said he basically will not see me if I come to him with this pain again. I am at my wits end!

Frances_S

Don't Panic

Hi MichiganMan,

I am not a doctor, nor do I work in the medical profession, but if you are still in pain and have pus coming out of you tonsil when you press on it, you should find another ENT and go for a second opinion. It sounds to me that you may have an infection that did not respond to the first course of antibiotics. If it is not an infection they should send you for a scan.

 

 

CivilMatt

My advice, good luck.

MichiganMan,

Welcome to the H&N forum, I am sorry that you are here.

It definitely sounds like you have something, but I do not know what.  More H&N members than you could put on a school bus never had any of the symptoms you have mentioned.  Many of us had no pain and just a swollen lymph node on our neck to generate interest.  If your doctors are not satisfying your quench for cancer you will have to continue to look.  It is generally not absolutely considered cancer until you have a positive biopsy for cancer.

Tobacco use isn’t a general benefit to good health, so you probably should reduce  or remove from your extracurricular activities.

You truly do not want H&N cancer and I hope you do not.  I would quit pushing and squeezing things and if more puss is ready to stream from your left tonsil, then have the doctor do it.  That should make him sit up and take interest.

Matt

MichiganMan

Frances_S said:

Don't Panic

Hi MichiganMan,

I am not a doctor, nor do I work in the medical profession, but if you are still in pain and have pus coming out of you tonsil when you press on it, you should find another ENT and go for a second opinion. It sounds to me that you may have an infection that did not respond to the first course of antibiotics. If it is not an infection they should send you for a scan.

 

 

Thank you for the advice.

Thank you for the advice. What sort of scan is typically the first one to do? I can only imagine my primary care's face if I were to ask him for such a thing. Not that it would deter me. I just want to know what scan I should ask for. 

MichiganMan

CivilMatt said:

My advice, good luck.

MichiganMan,

Welcome to the H&N forum, I am sorry that you are here.

It definitely sounds like you have something, but I do not know what.  More H&N members than you could put on a school bus never had any of the symptoms you have mentioned.  Many of us had no pain and just a swollen lymph node on our neck to generate interest.  If your doctors are not satisfying your quench for cancer you will have to continue to look.  It is generally not absolutely considered cancer until you have a positive biopsy for cancer.

Tobacco use isn’t a general benefit to good health, so you probably should reduce  or remove from your extracurricular activities.

You truly do not want H&N cancer and I hope you do not.  I would quit pushing and squeezing things and if more puss is ready to stream from your left tonsil, then have the doctor do it.  That should make him sit up and take interest.

Matt

I did have a laryngoscopy

I did have a laryngoscopy which the ENT did say was clear.

SuzJ

Tonsils

It does sound like tonsilitus.

 

So that brings us back to your Drs.

 

Stop panicking, start keeping a diary, this is essential.

 

I'll try and make a long story short - when I was laste teens /early 20's I got tonsilitus every other week. took a few Drs visits for the Dr to actually "see it" as, it wasn't always there. Got sent to ENT. Again - nothing wrong, at which point I said, "but there will be next week" so he gave me a pass, to be able to walk in the following week, if my throat was bad.

As I was on a 2 week cycle, the following week, it was horrible.

Went back in "oh my goodness, this is bad, BUT (always a but..) now we have a pattern (see why I said keep a diary?) we have to make sure we get you in and whip them out when your on a "down" time.

 

Well that sorta worked, except I was on the upswing, and 3 days after surgery, i was in so much pain, so so bad.. and my Dr said - "you have an infection in the tonsilar bed"

More antibiotics...

 

But morale of story, document, document.. and document.

MichiganMan

SuzJ said:

Tonsils

It does sound like tonsilitus.

 

So that brings us back to your Drs.

 

Stop panicking, start keeping a diary, this is essential.

 

I'll try and make a long story short - when I was laste teens /early 20's I got tonsilitus every other week. took a few Drs visits for the Dr to actually "see it" as, it wasn't always there. Got sent to ENT. Again - nothing wrong, at which point I said, "but there will be next week" so he gave me a pass, to be able to walk in the following week, if my throat was bad.

As I was on a 2 week cycle, the following week, it was horrible.

Went back in "oh my goodness, this is bad, BUT (always a but..) now we have a pattern (see why I said keep a diary?) we have to make sure we get you in and whip them out when your on a "down" time.

 

Well that sorta worked, except I was on the upswing, and 3 days after surgery, i was in so much pain, so so bad.. and my Dr said - "you have an infection in the tonsilar bed"

More antibiotics...

 

But morale of story, document, document.. and document.

Thanks for the advice. Do you

Thanks for the advice. Do you think it would be worthwhile to try to get another run of anti-biotics? I have 8 weeks of documented symptoms - dry throat, difficulty swallowing, lump in throat, Adam's apple area pain, minor ear pain, lower neck pulsating, etc. (no fever, no hoarseness, no chills, etc)

Frances_S

Answer to you question

My husband had a huge lump on the side of his neck with no pain and no other symtoms. His first Scan was a CT with contrast. God only knows just how long he walked around with this lump. Honestly, you need a second opinion.

Matt is on target with what he is telling you, most people do not feel pain. 

 

SuzJ

2nd opinion

I agree, altho I had fun with my tonsils, I used to say I was "growing a second head" but where it was placed, was also bad ear ache (I thought I had an ear infection)

 

This was my run up - 

antibiotics - possible ear infection - Teledoc- a cheaper version offered by my health ins

BIG antibiotics - from my Dr this time, with at the end - if it hadn't shrunk, an ultrasound

US - led to "necrotic centers" and a recommendation of a CT or aspiration

CT - showed uglies -

At this point I stepped in, knowing what I had read, and found a cancer hospital and Drs I was happy with.

My Dr sent me one place, I went another.

 

But what the managed care part of my insurance told me - is this is what you have to do - they require the antibiotics, the US, the CT, the fine needle.. basically stuff that gets progressivly more expensive for them.

If you don't see a pattern to the swelling - ie every other week - get a second opinion.