Dr. Joshi,

Hello, again. I posted two days ago about a painful lump I had discovered in my tongue. I did contact my oncologist by email and he sugguested starting with a round of antibiotics to rule out infection. I started on Keflex yesterday and have had 2 doses. I now have a second lump right beside the first lump. It is smaller than a pea, but is tender also. If it is an infection, what actually is inside of the tongue that can get infected? Are there salivary glands inside the tongue? How long do you think it would take on Keflex before I see an improvement? Most of the internet research I've done describes tongue cancer as a visible lesion, but couldn't it also arise from a lump in the tongue?


Luckily, I volunteer at the cancer clinic on Mondays so I will certainly have an opportunity to talk to my onc. Thanks for you time. It is very much appreciated by many people, I'm sure!

Delia

Hi Delia

The Keflex shoul have an impact on an infection sensitive to it within 2-3 days.

Read the description (from Figure 1.41 onwards) of the normal appearances of the tongue in the article Examination Technique with Normal Findings and Structures Mistaken for Disease. You could be describing circumvallate papillae of the tongue or enlarged pseudocysts in the foliate papillae.

Hope that helps.

Best wishes
Vinod :coffee: