hey there

im fourteen years of age and i have been having pains at the back of my throat when i swallow. it has been happening every now and then for the past couple of weeks but hasnt been for this long and it is pretty painful. i looked up tonsilitis but i know i havent got it due to the symptoms i do not have but recently i have looked in the mirror and found that i have many bumps/lumps at the back of my tongue. they arent huge but its starting to worry me. do you think it could be from allergies? or something serious?

thankyou
filippa

Good Morning Filippa,
From what you have told us I don't think you have any "dreaded lurgy".Normal going there are some lumps and bumps at the back of the tongue.

When you have problems which you don't fully understand you are quite right and sensible to seek advice and the best person to speak to is your doctor, so ring the surgury first thing monday morning.
How about having a chat with your mum? I'm sure she will want to offer all the help she can.
Please let us know how you get on.
Keep Smiling
John

Hi all. Slightly worried - apologies for the vagueness of the question.

I have just noticed two (one each side) white - almost whitehead appearance - lumps towards the rear (top) of my tongue. They are almost symetrical. They are actually on the tongue and can only be seen if I really stick tongue out. I've never noticed these before.

Can anyone provide any clues? Feeling a bit worried and about to go on holiday so probably won't be able to see anyone before I go.

Many thanks!

Hello JD

The pictures of normal appearances in Examination Technique with Normal Findings and Structures Mistaken for Disease may help reassure you. Some lumps seen at the back of the tongue are often part of the normal scenery.There are large bumps on the top surface of the back of the tongue called circumvallate papillae located along the "circumvallate line" and contain taste buds that confer the sense of sour and bitter to the back of the tongue.

Whenever you see something you think may be an abnormality in your mouth, look for another one on the opposite side of the mouth. If you see a "matched set", they are probably "normal anatomy".

It is probably a good idea to ask your dentist/doctor to confirm it is normal after your holiday. It will give you peace of mind. Hope that helps. Have a good holiday.

Best wishes
Vinod

Thank you very much for your help. The two lumps are nearly symetrical although not perfectly so. They look very much like ulcers (about 3-4mm across) although are not causing any pain at all.

Hopefully nothing too serious...!

Hi all

Please can someone advise me regarding my symptoms as to what i may have as i have been worried sick now for weeks and can only feel doom!

It all started 8 weeks ago and hasn't cleared since and i don't think it is Thrush or a bacterial infection.

I have a sore throat which feels worse and more inflammed sometimes and not so the rest of the time but it never clears up, it feels like my throat has been singed or scorched and gives out a burning sensation, in addition i have a feeling sometimes it is dull othertimes sore on the left side of my neck near the throat in the submandibular region, it doesn't feel swollen and apart from a small bump/pimple which has just appeared about 3 days there is no lumps or bumps, i think it is just a pimple.

Sometimes the area is sore and feels hard and othertimes it has gone down and feels almost normal but again it never clears up.

In addition and i believe the cause for all of it, my tongue feels awkward and i can feel that there is something on the left side right at the very back in the lingual area or beyond not on the dorsal, it is this causing the awkward feeling, it feels worse when i poke around at it irritating my throat and making it sorer.

I thought initially it was a virus/flu and would clear up after a week or two but it just felt worse so i went to the Doctor who looked at my tongue (possibly the throat - not sure) and said that i have white spots at the back of the tongue and gave me a prescription of Erythromycin and said it should clear up.

10 days later i went back as everything was the same so he had another look and said the spots were still there and thought it might be Thrush so gave a prescription for Nystatin drops and told me to apply them to the back of the tongue.

10 days later i went back again as still everything was the same, he said they were still there on the left side (i am not sure if they were ever on the right side as i can't see anything in the mirror as they are right right at the very back and he needed to use some sort of manifying scope to look at them.

He slightly felt my the left side of my neck (not sure if he felt it right) and reckons it could be Mono and sent me for a Blood test for Mono and to check the blood count.

I have to go back in the next few days for the result and for further treatment.

I have stuck my fingers down my throat to feel around but hate doing so as it is a awkward area to reach, it freaks me out and makes my throat feel worse.

When i have felt around i can feel small bumps on both sides of the tongue which all feel about the same size but on the left side there is one bump which feels bigger, twice the size or more and it is right where the tongue meets the lingual/palatine tonsils and jawbone so i am not quite sure if it is on the tongue or the tonsils but it is definately in the area of the tongue that feels uncomfortable/awkward.

Does anyone know what it could be as i don't think it is Thrush or Mono and am getting very scared as to what it may be as i am running out of options as all the minor illnesses are being crossed off the list!

Will the blood test for Mono and a blood count show anything more serious as well?

I have had it for 8 weeks now and i am getting worried that by the time they send to the ENT dept. anything serious might have progessed and it will be too late to stop it, i have no idea how quick something serious may grow but 8 weeks feels slow to me to still not have had a ENT specialist look at it or to do any scans etc.

I don't wish to spend another 2 weeks taking medicine for Mono when it isn't!

I have used some medical terms above but i don't really know my Anatomy, i have spent the last 2 months looking up the proper names for the areas so i can describe them better rather than saying the thingy under the thing and also looking through the list of illnesses with my symptoms which seems to run into the 100s!

Please does anyone know what i am talking about?

I am really scared and have considered all the nastys which i can barely bring myself to type -Oral Cancer, Oropharnyx Cancer, Squaminess cell Carcinoma, Leaukoplakia, Hodgkinsons and Lymphoma etc which i am praying i don't have.

I am only 34 and am reasonably fit and don't wish to be going to the Gloryland yet!

I haven't looked after my health brilliantly but i haven't abused it badly.

I don't really drink, only a occassional bottle of beer once or twice a year at Xmas etc. and i only smoke occassionally not regularly.

I haven't smoked since this started 8 weeks ago despite the temptation due to the stress although i should add that i was smoking the day when it started and wondered if it irritated my throat starting it all off??

I only had the two cigarettes and they were my first in 3 months as i do that, i smoke for a few months, quit and then start again a few months later and when i do smoke it is not heavy, only 2-3 Cigarettes a day and not even each day as i go a couple of days or so without there too so i probably average just 10 or less in a week - no 60 a day or anything!

I also smoke a occassional Cigar, maybe one large Cigar every 2 months and i smoke it over 2-3 days and a occasional packet of Panatellas but again just one a day to they are finished.

I haven't smoked at all since this started in June although i am sorely tempted but just the thought of what's happening puts me off!

I have smoked since i was 17 - so half my life but never heavy, always like i still do, no more than 3 in a day and sometimes with large gaps of months in between whether it is 3,6 or 9 months so i don't really regard myself as being a smoker more a occassional/light smoker so in my mind i shouldn't have any of the above nastys but i am hoping and praying i am not wrong!

I am not really addicted, it is more a social thing and i get a occassional temptation to buy a pack but i don't buy anymore for weeks or months later so i can stop whenever and feel that it is time to do so especially with this.

I still have the pack i bought the day it started with most of them left and even now i feel like lighting one up but can't face doing so.

I just feel so sick that i may have contributed to what i have and wish i could turn back the clock but it may have still happened on another day, maybe it was going to happen anyway, i would just like some sort of confirmation that it is one of the lesser illnesess and not one of the nastys so i can get treated,i am quitting smoking now anyway as i have been doing it too long and i don't need to.

My only other issue is a poor diet, i eat more Burgers and Fries than i do Fruit and Veg.

I started a change in my diet last year as i suffer from high Cholestrol and low blood pressure so i don't eat as much junk as i used to, i might eat them for a week or less and then not buy anymore for a few months, i mostly eat Rice, Noodle and Pasta dishes with Chicken (not much red meat) or Fish and only occassionally buy Takeaways or Fish/Chips etc.
I drink Fruit juice each day and soft drinks with no sugar, at least 1 piece of Fruit with my only sins being just 1 biscuit and a piece of Chocolate and some Ice-Cream in the evening, the vegetables are mainly in the meals although i don't eat any or little greens as i can't stand the taste, so overall i eat some vegetables and fruit but not the recommended levels and i eat more junk food so my diet isn't brilliant but i am hoping not too poor to be a contributor to my illness.

So there you have it - i smoke occassionally, not heavilly, drink about twice a year and eat more junk than good food but still eat fruit and veg weekly so (in my mind) i don't really fix the criteria for anything nasty, i am still pleading it isn't serious.

I hope you are all still there as this much be the longest and most boring post at this forum but i just wanted to give as much detail as i could so you know my background and what i am suffering from and can bear it all in mind when making suggestions as to what i am suffering from.

Please, please reply as i have bitten all my fingernails away and most of my fingers too with worry!

Londonlad

Hello scared_witless

There are are many causes for throat infections. You have had the antibiotic and the antifungal and your doc is now looking for a viral infection (infectious mononucleosis). Your blood tests should tell him if so.

But it sounds like you would benefit from a second opinion even if it isn't a cancer. Tell your doc that you are scared_witless that it might be a throat cancer and ask for a referral to an ENT consultant to have a look down your throat as even if it isn't, it would let you sleep better and grow your nails. That should get you referred.

Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
Vinod

I have like 5 lumps on the back of my tongue and a kinda sore throat ...and its been going on for three days and i don't know what to do... My father says that its some kinda of allergic reaction of some sort but I'm not sure he is right.. Is this normal or do i have to see a dentist? If I cant get to one soon what should i do? Will it get worse? Oh also i have a some kinda white stuff back there too .Whats going on? And what should i do?
Thankyou

Hello Uhhh-oh

It is only 3 days! You are most probably having a throat infection. I suggest that you see your doctor if worried as it is not possible to make a diagnosis over the Internet. Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
Vinod

Hi Dr Vinod

I went back today and was told that the Blood tests have came back normal so that means no Mono.

He had a look at my tongue as i reminded him that he had previously said there were White spots at the back of the tongue and he said it looks clear and that he can't see anything.

As i could never see them in the first place as they were right right at the back i don't know now whether they have cleared up and that they may have been Thrush or that he just didn't notice them and they could still be there.

A stupid thing to mention but i considered it as a reason why he didn't see anything this time was before i went i ate some Blackberries and my tongue was dark purple, could they have coloured over the spots ? daft question but could have they ?

He said he will refer me to a ENT Consultant but i have to wait 4-5 weeks for a appointment letter and the appointment may not be for a few weeks after, i would like this looked at a.s.a.p. not sometime in October but there is nothing i can do as i have to rely on the NHS as i am broke and can't afford private treatment.

I am hoping that it isn't serious especially as i have to wait so long to have it seen, i am thinking of going to the Dentist and asking him for a Oral examination to see what he says.

My Doctor said that the spots on the back of the tongue can swell in size but that is normal, all the discomfort is radiating from the same area from the large spot right on the edge of the back of the tongue next to the left tonsil next to the small flap of skin that joins the two.

I also still have a sore/dry throat (sometimes feels as it is going to crack and is burny other times)and is tender when i swallow although not as much as when it all started.

Then there is the discomfort in the submandibular which varies from a dull ache to a more noticeable ache but is always present sometimes stretching as far as the mandible joint or the cheek bone.

Everything is on the left side of the face only a occassional twinge on the other side.

Do you have any idea what the problem could be?

Do you think the White spots are connected or are part of something else that may have since cleared up although they seemed to be on the left side of the tongue just where the problem is.

Is it possible that it is a Ulcer/sore of some kind as it does feel tender when i poke at it, if so are there non C*****ous Ulcers that can appear like this and take months to clear up and which don't respond to Erythromycin or Nystatin?

I am fast running out of options as i think they have covered the main simpler illnesses and am praying it is nothing worse.

Anything i can do to relieve it in anyway - gargling salt water or drinking hot liquids etc. or are they non affective?

Please give me a few tips as i have 4-5 weeks plus to try a few things out in the hope of fixing it if i can.

Londonlad

Hello scared_witless

quote:

Then there is the discomfort in the submandibular which varies from a dull ache to a more noticeable ache but is always present sometimes stretching as far as the mandible joint or the cheek bone.

Everything is on the left side of the face only a occassional twinge on the other side.

Do you have any idea what the problem could be?

The ache in the side of jaw could be a symptom of a temporomandibular disorder with myofascial pain. My advice would be to get checked for temporomandibular disorder with myofascial pain. Click for more info. It is often caused by subconscious clenching or bruxing activity. Also stop other oral habits that put a strain on the jaw muscles like: chewing gum, biting your nails, nibbling your lip/cheek, leaning on your jaw during the day or night while sleeping. If you are keeping your teeth together, follow the advice I have given on using the 'splint of air' to help stop bruxism and clenching.

Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
Vinod

hi all
i too have been have the same problems for two years ive had over 20 lots of antibiotics for my tonsils they never work i keep goin to the doctors but they just keep giving me antibiotics im realy worried but my gp dont listen to me my tonsils and whole mouth all swollen. i have a new lump come at the back on the top of my mouth. i have smoked for 4 years also please some gove some advise x x x

Hello tarrafiddes9

If you aren't getting better, ask your doc to send you for a specialist (ENT) opinion.

Best wishes
Vinod

thankyou i will go to my GPtomorow and let you know. x

hi dr joshi,my tongue is the same as terrifieds,but i feel as if i have a hair at the back of my throat.