Yesterday I woke up with an extremely sore throat. I have been kicking up elevated levels of mucous from my sinuses recently, and the act of clearing my throat in particular was highly uncomfortable. There seemed to be one specific area that was most painful, and so I shined a flashlight into the back of my mouth. I was dismayed to find a small whitish patch surrounded by a brighter red circle at the top of my throat, just to the left of the uvula.

I have been a tobacco chewer (on and off, but unfortunately mostly on) for the last 14 years and anything like this scares the hell out of me. The thing is still there today although my throat hurts a little less and I have had reduced sinus issues (I took Sudafed and have also been taking ColdEez). It is not ridiculously painful when eating or anything but again, throat clearing/clenching are a little uncomfortable.

I have been scouring the internet to see if I can find a similar description for what I see in my mouth. After much frustration I found a photo and description that looks very similar to my issue, which was marked as a "canker sore on the soft palate".

My questions: (a) does what I describe sound like a canker sore on the soft palate? (b) if so, is there anything I can do to make it go away; (c) if not, what is it? Essentially, I want to know if I should be worried about this little issue or if it is just an irritant that will run its course.

I know I am somewhat prone to canker sores b/c I have taken methotrexate and Folic Acid. But, I have been off meth. for about 3-4 weeks now and have stopped taking the Folic Acid as well, so I'm not sure if that applies. I was also recently exposed to a lot of dust which I think has contributed to the sinus issues.

Sorry for the long e-mail, just trying to give as much info as possible. Any answer you could provide, I would greatly appreciate!

Hello TD

You probably have an ulcer (canker sore) on the uvula. It should get better in about 10 days or so. If not, please see your doctor. Use this fright as a wake-up call to motivate yourself to quit chewing tobacco. Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
Vinod