hello everyone, i was hoping that i could get some opinion on this as i'm a bit worried.

for the last couple of days i've noticed that on the floor of the mouth, at the end of the left side of that v-shaped thing (glands?) there is a small oval nodule. i feels like there is an tic tac (small bean perhaps?) stuck under the skin and is partially connected to that v thing (it's around 1cm long).

i can easily feel it with my tongue, but it's not so easy to find it with my finger. however, for the last 2-3 days it feels like it grew a lot but i suppose it might be because i've been constantly prodding at it with my finger.

what else? it doesn't hurt, it's bit sore (see prodding it with my finger) it feels hard when i touch it with my tongue but kinda softish under my finger. also it feels like i can move it around a bit with my finger. also i haven't managed to see it when i look at the floor of the mouth, only feel it.

so anyway, does anyone have any opinions on this? should i hit the panic button right away? i have an regular appointment with my dentist in October (regular 6 month checkup) but should i go earlier? I'm a bit afraid that since it's really not that big and easy to find, dentist won't take me seriously...

i'm 29, non smoker, non drinker...

thanks a lot about any opinion. i'm trying to keep as calm as possible and not to overreact but google-ing these things is rather terrifying

Hello Elmosfire

It is not possible to make a diagnosis based on your description over the Internet but it does not match a mouth cancer. Hope that reassures you. But I would advice you to see your dentist for an opinion. Even if he/she can't diagnose it, you will know that it is not a mouth cancer.

Best wishes
Vinod

Thank you for your answer, Dr Joshi, you've been very kind! By reading again my description I think I've described it as good as i could so your opinion based on it has truly been reassuring.

The nodule (or a bumb, how do i say it correctly?) still feel basically the same (still feels like it's around 1 cm long) and under my fingers it feels definitely soft and movable, even though i can't figure out whether one end of it is connected to the v-shaped thing or not.

Anyway, just by looking at the floor with lamp i can't see it and it's also hard to find it with finger as the whole area is rather bumpy.

So I'll probably just wait for 2-3 weeks to see if it goes away and then if it doesn't, or if it starts to grow, I'll make my way to the dentists. Would you say that's the right thing to do?

Also, I've been reading a lot of these pages for the last couple of days and people that have been through this are real heroes. I can't believe how strong some of these people are.

Also I can't believe how little is generally known about this vile disease in public. I mean, it says everywhere that it's curable if detected early, and yet almost no one in public seems to know a lot about it and the awareness seems to be very low. So, basically thank you for having this website - it's sure has opened my eyes and I'm sure many feel the same. If there's anything I can do to help, I would rather love to. I'm quite good at programing and developing web pages so if you need any help let me know. Thanks once again!

quote:

So I'll probably just wait for 2-3 weeks to see if it goes away and then if it doesn't, or if it starts to grow, I'll make my way to the dentists. Would you say that's the right thing to do?

Yes.

Thanks a lot once again! I'm trying hard to ignore the nodule and get on with my life but tongue is going for it all the time. Subconsciousness is playing it's part.

Anyway, I'll let you know what the dentist said...

Can I have another quick question please? I've never really looked into my mouth a lot so all this is new to me but I'm regulary going to the dentist. Anyway, since lately i've been looking at it, what I've noticed is that the two sides of the floor of my mouth seem to be rather asymmetrical.

For example on the left side, sublingual fold (if that's what is called) is more pronounced and bigger while on the right side it's much smaller. Still, on the right side submandibular gland or something seem much bigger (or more pronounced than on the left side). Is it normal to have such differences or is everything supposed to be symmetrical?

I suppose if something was wrong my dentist would already have noticed but still, i would love to ask your opinion.

Hats off to dentists and oral specialists for making any sense of it all

The body is not symmetrical - look at your hands closely!

hah, brilliant answer!

you're totally right, of course. it's just that when you start being self conscious over something you see weird things everywhere.

hello everyone,
unfortunately my nodule hasn't gone away

it hasn't (to my knowledge) grown in size for the past 3 weeks but it's still there. i actually feel like its fluctuating in size which as i've understand is good sign oc-wise but on the other hand now that i've read stuff on the internet i'm scared to death because now i feel like i've billions of tell-tale signs in my mouth

so anyway, i got really tired of thinking about it and i've called my dentist to arrange a check up and it's on friday.

does anyone have any suggestions how i should go with this? i don't want to seem like a lunatic and
i'm afraid he won't take me seriously or would just dismiss me as it is often case in Croatia.
I would love to get some proper answers so i can be at ease.

thanks a lot everyone!

Hello elmosfire

If it is still there, you need to get a definitie diagnosis from a specialist who might need to do a excision biopsy to confirm his provisional diagnosis.

Best wishes
Vinod

Thanks a lot for your reply Dr. Joshi,

I'm definitely a bit scared right now because no one likes to hear the word biopsy.

I'll try and see whether my girl can find it in my mouth because if she does then i guess it'll be easier explaining to the dentist what is worrying me.

as to how to approach the dentist, i'm still clueless...

I'll let you know on friday what the dentist said.

I hope I'll bear good news...
Thanks for everything.

Hello Elmosfire

I wasn't trying to scare you. I don't think it sounds like a mouth cancer but you do need a clinical diagnosis and sometime it needs to be confirmed by histological diagnosis.

Best wishes
Vinod

Good morning!
Yes I know, dr Joshi, you just gave me an honest opinion and I really appreciate that

Well, I just got back from my dentist and luckily he took me very seriously. He was prodding with his fingers and found the questionable thing right away.

Anyway, his opinion from the start was that it's only a slightly enlarged lymph node that in the beginning got irritated by cold or something and afterwards by me poking at it.

His opinion was that it's 99.99% nothing to worry about (that everything is actually normal) but that if i'm really worried he will send me to do a puncture and be done with it. Obviously he could clearly see that i'm very worried. Anyway, in the end he told me to try not to worry, that he's sure everything is normal, that i should not touch it or think about it for the next 2-3 weeks and then to call him. Then he will see whether it got smaller or disappeared whether he'll send me to have a puncture (that was how he said it, it's probably croatian expression for biopsy).

I suppose I should take this as good news as he would probably figure out if something was really wrong. What do you think? Does his explanation make any sense?

Go with your dentist's advice.

just to let you know - my nodule hasn't gone away even after month has passed so i went to see dentist again. he prodded me throughly once again and his conclusion is that i should go home happily and forget about it.

his diagnosis is that it's clogged salivary gland which i should ignore if it causes me no pain or discomfort (which it doesn't). i can tell you, i really felt relieved. he told me to come to next regular apointment in 6 months and that's that.

phew.

does this diagnosis in your opinion make any sense?

thanks everyone, esp dr yoshi!

No offence to your dentist but if you aren't happy ask for a secind opinion or contact your local hospital. My dentist was VERY slow in referring me to the hospital and that turned out to be a major mistake. He was sure it was nothing - WELL, IT WAS.

It's probably nothing and more than likely nothing to be scared of, and I hope and pray that it is the case but if you are worried - and you seem worried - get a secong opinion! Just do it and don;t worry about hurting their feelings or anything like that! It's your life!

Tony