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Extremely worried - lump in my gum/jaw cancer?

AnxiousAsAMouse
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Hello All - I'm new here thankyou for reading my story. 
 

a little background about me - I'm 29,non smoker, non drinker, fairly active and completely pain and illness free (not that any of that may be particularly relevant)

around 5 weeks ago I woke up in the morning to a large-ish, painless lump in my gum on the bottom right side of my mouth (infront of the molars), at first I thought I may have bitten myself in the night or had an allergic reaction, as the night before I had previously had nothing painful..no lumps,bumps or sores bothering me

due to being completely petrified of the dentist (always have been) and thinking it may well go by itself I left it a couple of weeks however then finally managed to pluck up the courage to present it to dentist - they said they didn't know what it was so referred me to a Maxillofacial Specialist

the dentist trip was a week ago and the maxillofacial is in another weeks time

The crux of my story is I'm extremely anxious to the point of not eating, hardly sleeping and just having terrifying thoughts in my head - unfortunately this hasn't been helped as I have fallen victim to Dr.Google and fallen into a terrifying scrolling spiral.

im not too sure where to turn - the dentist not once mentioned the word cancer to me however it's all I can think about and bring myself too - everything I seem to look up online about gum/jaw lumps comes to cancer and it's really driving me to the edge

 

  • A warm welcome to the forum AnxiousAsAMouse although I'm very sorry for the worry this is causing.

    It must have been very scary but well done for plucking up the courage to see your dentist about this as you're now a step closer to getting some answers and peace of mind. I know there's another week of anxious waiting to go but until then I hope the tips and advice given in this article on how to cope with waiting for news will help keep your nerves at bay.

    I'm sure some of our members will offer their support and advice to you soon but in the meantime we're thinking of you and wishing you all the best for next week.

    Fingers crossed everything will turn out o.k.

    Kind regards,

    Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator 

  • Offline

    Hello, I know this post was some while ago and I hope you are feeling much better now. 
     

    Just wondering what happened when you went to the specialist? 
     

    I too have noticed a small lump on my bottom gum below my molars. It feels as if it's where the gum and jaw meet. It's very solid and does not move at all. 
     

    I'm quite an anxious person so I am a little worried about it, unfortunately I can't book a dentist appointment for another three weeks. 
     

    I do also have a small lump under my chin which I though was a swollen gland/lymph node and went to my GP about it last week but they couldn't feel it so weren't worried. 

    I've had quite a few bouts of illness this year already, recurring colds and sinus infections, which I've gone to the doctors about. I normally never go to the doctors but I think health anxiety is weighing me down at the moment. So I don't really want to bother the doctors again about this if it's nothing. 
     

    Thanks 

  • Offline in reply to Buckbeak

    Hi Buckbeak. Thanks for reaching out.

    so I ended up being diagnosed with Burkitt Lymphoma, quite an aggressive form of NHL. Had a year of intensive treatment and am now thankfully in remission.

    I know this is going to sound very direct and quite scary - but I recommend you get yourself to your local A&E department as soon as possible. I, too had a dentist appointment booked however I was seen immediately. I feel that 3 weeks for yours would be too long to wait 

    im not telling you it's anything to worry about. The odds are it more than likely isn't, but you need to get it looked at immediately, before that dentist appointment.

     

    ive added you as a 'friend' on here. If you accept my request, we can chat privately 

     

    Sean 

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