I went to the doc 4 days ago with a lump on my cheek, on the bit that is not far behind the corner of my mouth, the place I tend to bite if I am not careful. I was worried because the Doctor referred me immediately to the oral surgery department of the regional hospital. His referral was for a leukoplakia. The appointment was swift: next Thursday. I knew he suspected cancer because he said all the right things to make me suspicious, like "I'm not sure what it is so we'd better get the specialists to look at it...I'll refer you online...it's so quick..." and when the hospital phoned with the appointment they told me they had "had a cancellation" !!

Naturally, being an ICT teacher I went on line to look up what they were so worried about, and now I am genned up with pictures, diagnoses and prognoses (is that right?!) All the lifechanging consequences of the "what if" come to life. The biggest worry is that I am single with 2 kids (21 and 19) who have grown to rely on me so much, being the only parent they see. My son and I live out in the country and he does not drive. This is not just me and my health, but if I cannot work, I cannot pay the mortgage...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SuT,

Hello SuT

These things are always worrying, especially if we are used to an organised planned life!

Firstly, only a very small percentage of leukoplakias progress to dysplastic changes (cancer). See Prof Scully's article on Oral Leukoplakia.
Secondly, treatment of anterior cheek lesions is much less debilitating, so you would have a good chance of getting back to your feet.
Lastly, we are always here to help you.

So have a good day and take things one at a time. Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
Vinod

Good Afternoon SuT,
Try not to read too much into "the signs" If your doctor could not say quite definitely what the problem is he would refer you to the specialist clinic for an expert opinion.Don't be surprised that the clinic gave you an appointment in the short term,I think this is normal at the Maxillofacial/oral surgery clinics,because treatment only becomes extensive when diagnosis is delayed.There are many reasons why lumps appear in the mouth and most of them are easily dealt with, so try not to worry too much Sue.You are probably thinking that it is easy for me to say don't worry but do try.Please let us know how you get on,hopefully it will be a minor problem.
Keep Smiling
John.

Always look on the bright side of life...da dum...di da da da da dum!

Thanks for the link to the article, Vinod. It was useful to have a medical dictionary on hand, and took some thought, but it was uplifting. Of course I am still worried, but statistics / probables / possibles all help to build up the bigger picture. For now there is not much to do except throw away the corkscrew, and get the veg on to cook eh?

Thanks too John for your message. One of the problems of being single is not having anyone to share it with, so there is no "trouble halved" hence the post on the site. Having looked at all the information I can find now (and having read the article Vinod linked me to) I feel more at ease, but ...lets wait until I've been to the hospital.

I'll be back on Thursday.

Su

Hi Su, I know just how you feel!!! I have been on this site today for the first time, also a lone parent (i have two girls and a boy) and the thought of possibly having the big C is absolutly terrifing. When i went to the doctors yesterday i ended up taking my 9 year old son for moral support as i have no one else. The not knowing is so nerve racking! I have read so much information on the net these last few days, many terrifing but also many inspiring and amazing stories, we really do have to be positive. Like John said keep smiling!
Melody