Trying To Get A Diagnosis -

Winter of 2007, I have a horrible sore throat that lasts for 5 weeks. Finally it goes away. Then a mucus cyst forms on my soft pallet. It bothers me a lot but my doctors say it is harmless.Finally it seems to go away, but to my shock the feeling of something stuck on my tonsil / throat doesn't.

I go to an ENT, he is a real jerk. But he does the fiberoptic scope and says he sees nothing. I go home. It doesn't go away, I come back, he says he wants a second look he gets it, he sees nothing. (but he is filling me with lack of confidence as every time he looks he says he is having problems). Personally it looks to me like I have all these lumps on one tonsil (not tonsil stones -- that was my primary care doctor's guess). He has scheduled me for a CT on Wednesday.  But to me I don't know what that will show.

So I asked about tonsil cancer but he told me that isn't likely since I am 37, female and don't smoke or drink, but just looking at this forum I have seen people with it.  

I don't feel like I have pain in my throat. As far as I can see I don't have any noticeable lump in the outside of the neck.  It just feels like I have either a piece of hair in my throat or a lump on the tonsil that is irritating. How did you all get definitely diagnosed. Especially when I hear some had their tests come back negative. 

Thanks 

Get a 2nd opinion.  Cancer caught early is cureable.  And my husband was 47, never smoked, didn't drink, and in very good health when we found his stage 3 tonsil cancer.  The ENT didn't think it was anything to worry about, but our family doctor did, so we had my husband's tonsil tested and sure enough..cancer.   Have another doc take a look.

- Amy

Get a second opinion! I was 39, non-smoker, social drinker, healthy and fit when I started having problems with my tonsil. I believe my state of fitness worked against me. I did not fit the profile of someone with cancer. I was discouraged from a tonsillectomy, and told I had a cryptic tonsil, which was probably causing my fatigue. Only after the tonsil grew considerably(two years later) was I told that it needed to come out. I had also had a CAT scan a year prior to diagnosis that reported No Evidence of Malignancy.

My tumor was caused by the HPV virus which loves to hide undetected in the tonsil, or base of tongue.