After having a sore throat for almost a month, I went to my Dr. to see about some very worrying LARGE bumps on the back of my tongue. I explained that I was a very heavy drinker for the two years previous, but had quit altogether in the last few months. I told him that I was worried about cancer, as I had one of the major risk factors (I do not smoke). He said it was just enlarged circumvallate papillae, but agreed to refer me to an ENT.

At the ENT, I described all of my symptoms... sore throat, a period of about 1 week that I became hoarse, aching in my jaw and neck, occasional headache (although I'm prone to headaches, anyway), and sinus drainage. I have had tinnitus and pain in my right ear for many years (which I've had looked at many times without a diagnosis other than "everything looks fine"), but it seems to have increased some. I have a history of very severe allergies, too. Another symptom of throat cancer, puffy eyes, was attributed to allergies. Ultimately, after a hearing test and a look down my throat with a small mirror, the ENT said it was enlarged circumvallate papillae, too.

My symptoms persist off and on (I don't have a sore throat every day and the ear and jaw pain are intermittent, too) and occasionally, at the end of a sentence when I'm talking my voice will kind of go wonky on the last word. It's hard to describe. Anyway, our insurance doesn't allow a "second opinion" and I'm quite concerned about the fact that these symptoms don't seem to be going away for good. I have found no lumps (other than the enlarged circumvallate papillae), and I don't have a hard time swallowing anything. Is it worth paying out-of-pocket for an additional look down my throat? The odds are that it's not cancer - I'm a 35 year old woman who was a heavy drinker for only about 2 - 2.5 years (but it was daily). Also, we live both in the US and abroad, so I can try to see a doc in Europe (for free), but that could be next month, or months from now. TIA!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: NatureLover,

Hello NatureLover

It is unlikely that you have a mouth/throat cancer. You have been examined by your doctor and an ENT specialist who couldn't find any sign of cancer and the symptoms appear to have been going on intermittently over a number of years. The aches and pains in the jaw could be symptoms of a temporomandibular disorder with myofascial pain, the puffy eyes could due to several things (allergy, lack of sleep, too much alcohol, etc).

My advice: get checked for temporomandibular disorder with myofascial pain. First read these previous posts on myofascial pain. Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
Vinod

Thank you very much for your reply doctor.

I know I don't clench my teeth at night... I am a mouth breather, as a matter of fact, and I always wake up with my mouth wide open. The ENT checked me for TMD, which was negative, too.

I supposed the jaw and neck pain (along with the already existing ear pain) have me worried the most. I will try to not worry and see how things go over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you again, so very much for kindly responding to my post. It was a great help!