THIS IS A COPY OF QUESTION POSTED IN ANOTHER PLACE

Dear Dr Joshi
I wonder if you could help me please. I am 51 and an ex smoker (20 years ago). I drink irregularly but less often now because I can't seem to take it any more.

I have had an uncomfortable feeling at the back of my throat the past 2 years but visits to ENT specialists do not seem to have detected anything. I've had scopes and scans, but doctors seem to be only looking for NASAL cancer and they don't think I have it.

Is there anything test I can have to verify for sure whether I do or do not have any form of mouth cancer like a marker?

The soft tissue at the top of the back of my mouth is always swollen and my tongue sometimes feels numb.I also have mild headaches more regularly, and a pain at the back of my skull. Occasionally I feel "spaced out" and seem to lose balance. And yet I'm told there's nothing wrong with me.

Problem is with all these visits to specialists my husband now thinks I'm a hypochondriac.

Please help me.

Hello HMcD

Your discomfort is real, so you aren't a hypochondriac. It is just that not all sensations can be explained. It is unlikely to be a mouth cancer in the throat for this would have grown worse over the two years you have been having this problem. A condition called globus hystericus is given to the sensation you describe for which the medical experts are unable to find any cause. Continually clearing the throat can make the matter worse. The worry could cause you to tense the face and neck causing muscle pains. Make sure that you aren't clenching and that your jaw and tongue are being kept loose. Follow the advice given for wearing a 'splint of air'.

Hope the advice helps.

Best wishes
Vinod

Thank you for your reassurance. How long would any form of carcinoma take to manifest itself? You are right in that I tend to make it worse by not constantly clearing my throat but swallowing hard as I seem to have a thickish phlegm all the time and I'm trying to get rid of it. Antihistamines don't seem to have helped, nor gargles with salt water or other non-alcohol based products.

But thank you - you are doing a great job, and I sincerely laud your passion.