Hi

Im 25 years old, dont smoke never have and drink 3 weekends out of a month. about a year ago i got a lump in my tongue, firm to grab between the fingers or teeth but not visible by sticking my tongue out. It changes in size at first it used to dissapear completely. last 6 months it has never gone completely and is often visible by sticking out my tonuge. Scared of finding out what it actually was, i didnt go see my doctor until 1 month ago.

My doctor had a very brief look but said she couldnt find much and because i drink it is probably that.

Not happy with such a brief look and no explanation other than "drink" which i dont do excessively, and am more worried than ever now because often my tongue is blue where the lump is on the top. I went to the drop-in-centre at dewsbury hospital. The person who saw me there checked for lumps in my neck area etc and found nothing (but she confirmed the lump inside my tongue by looking and feeling it). She said it could be burst blood vessels and that is what it most likely will be. Advised me not to worry about it blood is probably leaking where it shouldnt be ! The fact that it changes size is a good thing because if it was cancer it would be a fixed size/always growing ?

Is that true ? is it most likely a burst blood vessel or something leaking blood to places it shouldnt really be and causing a clot which comes and goes ? i would have thought it fixed on its own by now though. The average size over the year has definatly increased.

I dont know where to take it from here. I realize i need a dentist but i do not have one and since i will have to go private funds are definatly putting that off till at least the end of the month, but the more i worry the more sleep im now losing over this ! if it is cancer i need to catch it asap !

Please can you give me advice on what you think it could be ? or where i can go next to have it looked at ?

Thanks alot for reading

Kindest Regards

Adam

Hello Adam

It might be a salivary extravasation cyst. A lump can arise in the tongue owing to saliva leaking into the tisue and gives rise to a mucous retention (or extravasation) cyst. This can happen when a salivary gland is damaged. The stretched overlying tissue then can appear bluish. The swelling goes down if it breaks and lets the saliva escape. Then it builds up again. A biopsy is usually done to confirm and to remove it.

More information at this article about: Mucoceles.

Ask your doctor to refer you to the local maxillofacial unit (at Pinderfields, Wakefield) for confirmation of diaagnosis and management.

Let us know how you get on. And do go to sleep now!

Best wishes
Vinod

Thank you very much Vinod. That is definatly re-assuring

Im rebooked to see my doctor next week so i'll ask her to refer me then.

This is what i like to hear from the link you supplied:

"Mucoceles and ranulas tend to be relatively painless or asymptomatic lesions with little or no associated morbidity or mortality. "

Again thank you very much, have a good day at work

Kindest Regards

Adam