Hi,

I'm a newbie. Last weekend I woke up, went to the fridge to get the o.j., and bit my tongue (hard!). I waited for the pain to fully realize itself, and believe me it did exactly that. A little later, when I was brushing my teeth, I looked to see what the damage was and discovered a fleshy lump about 1/2" long and 3/16" wide along the right side of my tongue, about 1" from the tip, so, right in the middle. Although I had not noticed it prior to the bite, I think there is a good possibility that it may have been the reason I bit my tongue in the first place. It is not discolored, is smooth on the surface, had a couple of small pus blisters initially, and of course a bite mark. It has been four days and it is still there. I don't think the size has changed. It doesn't feel hard, but more like the flesh of the rest of my tongue. It has well defined borders and is long ovoid in shape.

I called my primary and he said "give it a few days" and then if no change for the better, come in. I also called my regular dermo who I'll see on Friday. His initial impulse was to send me to an oral surgeon, but decided to check it out himself first.

My profile is 62y/o male, heterosexual, probably have been exposed to HPV at one time or another, although that isn't confirmed (I'm single, by the way.) I have been tested for HIV, and am neg.

I can post a pic if it would help with some feedback.

I'm happy this forum exists.

Thanks.

Hi

Does it hurt if you bump it with your toothbrush?

I hope everything goes well with the doctors, but if neither your PCP nor the dermatologist, please see an ENT.

Let us know how things turn out.

Julia

Thanks, Julia. No, it doesn't hurt when I hit it with my toothbrush (which tends to worry me a bit more). It is definitely making me lose lots of sleep though(!) I have to get this looked at first thing today. It has already, sans diagnosis, completely disrupted my life and work.

P.S. I have been reading a lot, needless to say. One question I have is what are the benign alternatives possible for this lump?

The tumor I had on my tongue was very uncomfortable and did hurt when I accidentally hit it with my toothbrush. It started on the underside of the left half of my tongue and by the time I had surgery it had begun to make its way around to the topside of my tongue. I tried to convince myself that it was just a cold sore, but deep down I knew that it was cancer. I'm extremely happy to say that it's turned out well.

As wonderful as the internet is, it seems to leave a lot to be desired when it comes to info about diseases. Worst case scenarios tend to come up first.

Your question about what it might be apart from cancer is really best answered by your doctor. Trust me--I know how disruptive this can be, but as difficult as it can be, try to relax. Stress tends to make things worse than they are. In the words of the late, great Douglas Adams DON'T PANIC!

Thank you, Julia. You're a great help. I'm glad you were able to get through yours with a good outcome. I'll see an ENT in a very short while today. We'll see what he has to say.

Thanks again for your compassion.

ENT said everything looked ok. Didn't even want to biopsy. I'm thinking a second opinion wouldn't be a bad thing. He thinks it was caused by the severe bite. Said also if it was "something" it would be ulcerated moreso. I hope he is correct*!

I would definitely seek a second opinion (and no, I don't mean "ok, you're ugly, too"). Did the doc have any idea what it might be, apart from just a severe bite?

No, he didn't offer up any additional ideas about what else it might be, but he was more than confident that it was not the big C. I have used this guy in the past and he has been spot-on about some other issues, so I have to trust him. Will do the second though. Hopefully with the same result.

lolz.. ugly too! Well he may have been thinking that but was kind enough to reserve comment.

Got second and third opinions this morning. First from a dermo who specializes in dermo pathology. He examined me and said in his opinion the lesion on my tongue is benign. However, since he could not figure out what it is or what caused it, he advised me to seek a third opinion from an oral surgeon who he claims is one of the most reputable in my city (los angeles). I was almost in shock from the anxiety when I left his office. I went immediately to the phone and was able to slip into the O.S.'s office, thanks to a compassionate scheduling assistant. Was in his chair within an hour. He examined me for a while and said whatever it is, it is not malignant but rather some type of fatty tumor. He went on to explain why he was certain which centered around the anatomy of "it" and the lack of a stem, etc. He said he would not advise any surgery (or biopsy) and asked that I monitor it, also noting that it was not likely to get smaller. Wants me to call him if it enlarges or changes significantly in appearance.

Well, that's where I am. My body feels like I've been trampled because of all the adrenaline that has coursed through my veins over the last week. I hope I will now be able to relax and believe my doctor(s).

Whew!

What great news! Not that we wouldn't have welcomed you, but I'm very glad you don't have to join this club. Membership can be quite costly.

Relax and celebrate.

Mimi

I think Mimi summed that up nicely. Congratulations RinLA.

Yahoo! I'm so happy it's turned out well.

Hello RinLA

That's good news. I am curious as to what it looks like. Could you post a photo?

Best wishes
Vinod

Although I've only been here briefly, I can see the benefits of sharing experiences, both physical and psychological, with others who tread this path. This board truly has a wealth of valuable information, even if one does is not afflicted. Thank you to all of you who posted your kind remarks and ideas.

Dr. Joshi, if you will be so kind to describe how to attach a photo to my post, I'll attempt to send a pic of my own tongue. In the meanwhile, here is a link to something that looks very similar:

http://www.accentu8dental.com.au/attachments/Image/Oral...f%20the%20tongue.JPG

They tag it as lipoma on this website. My doctors would not fully commit to that nomenclature, although the oral surgeon did say it was possibly some sort of fatty tissue.