Ear Throat Pain / Tingliness

Your situation would be atypical presentation for a tonsil or base of tongue cancer...  Usually cancer related lymph nodes don't have any tenderness or pain associated with them.  Assuming you've been given an antibiotic I would take it as prescribed and followup with your ENT if things don't calm down.  From there, yes, you are likely going to have imaging and a slew of blood tests to start ruling out the dozens of non-cancer related things it could be.  One step at a time....

ETP,

Welcome to the H&N forum, sorry that you are here, but seeing an ENT (usually) puts  you ahead of the game (they should know.

I also had a swollen lymph node on my neck, an ulcerated spot on my lower tongue, but no pain whatsoever.

If the swelling and pain do not go away, neither should you.  If your ENT is competent he will move in to scans and needle biopsy (maybe).  If it persists and you do not get satisfaction from your ENT, look for a second opinion.

No need to apologize, I wish my first trip to the ENT ended on a happier note.  Maybe your will.  It is not cancer until they say it is cancer.

Matt

A few years ago I had an enlarged lympn node in my neck (about the side of a golf ball) which was ultimately biopsied and thankfully came back negative.  Ultimately i self diagnosed the issue to be stress related.   If you have been unusually stressed, have had poor sleep for over 7 days or have gained weight lately my suggestion is that it is likely stress/lack of sleep/lifestyle related.

Unfortunately the lymph node continues to be sensitive when i am under stress (it is now my stress point).

Good luck,

Jeff

Good for you for looking for the answers you need!  I will be putting on my "Grandma Hat"... If you were one of mine, I would be telling you I would suspect an infection.  You have already ruled out any early signs of cancer.  Any infection involving the ear/ear canal is very painful.  The lymph nodes are there to filter out infection.  Antibiotics are actually not very effective for ear infections, so it could take several days or multiple prescriptions to see results.  Follow up with your ENT.  As Matt said, you don't have cancer until they tell you...

Best Wishes and hoping you find a very good outcome,

Crystal

EarThroatPain said:

Had Fine Needle Biopsy

Had Fine Needle Biopsy completed today. Waiting on results, which should be in by Friday... fingers crossed. The doc noted the hard node, but didn't seem too concerned and we reviewed the CT Scan and he said things looked good there too. I also had a scope down my throat and he said that everything looked good. Throat is closing appropriately, etc. The only thing he seemed to think might be causing this is my right ear is "dull". Meaning the eustachian tube is not closing all the way? I hope he is right, it'll be a long few days.

Major concern is just that the node was hard and didn't really have much pain - but it didn't show up on the CT Scan, so I'd imgaine I caught it early?

Please follow up with us.

EarThroatPain said:

Biopsy came back clean. But

Biopsy came back clean. But after reading another response in the other thread (nx), where it was mentioned they had a negative report  3 times, it definitely makes me worried. 

Sirry, I confused two users in my original message. 

Hi, I clicked on this thread because I am having same symptoms. I am 14 months out for treatment for Base of Tongue cancer, Stage 3. I have a scope done every 3 months. For last 2 scopes I have told my Oncologist that I have a sore spot on left side of throat. Cancer was on right side. So lately swallowing is becoming difficult. I have bouts of ear pain on that side that radiates down into neck and up into head. My face on left side feels weird to touch.My primary thinks maybe my trigeminal neuropathy. I am going for MRI on soft tissue of neck and brain with and w/o contrast. Will let you know what , if anything comes up. Being a cancer patient with BOT cancer , any throat pain gets me thinking recurrence..I am so glad your biopsy came back negative. It was a year of symptoms before I was diagnosed.Stay informed and keep at the doctors. I wish I had. After negative results for thyroid cancer, I sat back and was happy as a pig in you know what. It wasn't untilI had a weird dream where my mother simply said ENT , I know sounds crazy but it is true. Next day I made an appointment with an ENT . He found the cancer.When he showed me the picture on screen of the tumor, I knew then .Good luck and I will let you know what I find out .

I do not want to scare you but they found my cancer only after they surgically removed the swelling lymph node. And they could not see any primary tumor in the scopy, and any of imaging including PET scan. They did diagnostic tonsillectomy, they found it hidden in the cript of a tonsil.So do not give up until you hear that they are %100 sure that you do not have it. Wish you a good luck.

EarThroatPain said:

Biopsy came back clean. But

Biopsy came back clean. But after reading another response in the other thread (nx), where it was mentioned they had a negative report  3 times, it definitely makes me worried. 

Sirry, I confused two users in my original message. 

Thanks for following up with us.  Just wanted to state my husband had the same exact symptoms with the pain in ear and swallowing.  Worse pain he has ever had so I am told, worse than the radiation and chemo is going through right now.  But he had no swollen lymph node at time of MRI.

Family doctor told him TMJ.  Nope.  I wasn't buying it.  Made an appointment for ENT who ordered an MRI of head and neck.  MRI did show base of tongue cancer on Aug 23rd, 2017.  Was at Thomas Jefferson Aug 28th, 2017 scheduling a biopsy.  SCC of base of tongue, two lymph nodes.  Thank goodness limited to that area.  11 more radiation treatments and 1 chemo to go.  So far so good.  

Just stay informed, alert and a little demanding if need be.  We were determined to work fast as a team and fight this thing with all we got.

Dont be fooled by others, you should know what your body is telling you.

Good luck.