Worried

In November 2005 I went to the doctor mulitiple times about my throat it's red and has a white bump small one smaller then a pea on my side of my throat. Well each time I have went they tell me it's either sinus drainage or strep! Strep test always comes back negative so they say it's sinuses. Well something tells me that it can't be sinuses still! My throat is red and doesn't really hurt where it's red, but once in a while i'll get a pain down in my throat and a pain here and there in my ear when I get the pain in my throat.

I dont know what to do! Tonight I thought I felt a lump in my throat like right under the jaw line!

My grandfather died from throat cancer! I'm 29 and smoke :( I know I need to quit and really want to but Im struggling with it! My husband smokes and it makes it soo much harder trying to quit!

Go to an Ear,Nose, and Throat doctor. Ask about a have a biopsy. I had the samea red soar throatlast January and kept going back to doctor because the redness and ear pain would not go away. After 5 different antibiotics in April 2005 the doctor removed my toncils and the left side was cancer. The radiation and chemo treatment was pretty bad and am still recovering from the treatment. I hope yours problem comes out better, but the point is if you think something is wrong don't stop until you get tests

Thanks, I feel like i"m getting the run around and my doctors office they have put me on amoxicillin, gave me a penicillin injection, put me on another antibiotic called z-max, then they went to the oh i think it's sinuses and put me on zyrtec, and nasocort. Then had me swishing with maylanta and benydryl.

I'm to the point where I'm getting aggravated with it all.

The little bump it's self does not hurt but once in a while i'll have a burning pain in my throat or a pain in my ear, but it's not constant at all. I am also having a sore neck.

I just hope that I can find out what's causing this soon.

I am not sure if you went to an ENT (ear,nose,throat) specialist. Do not waste your time going to your family physician. All they will do is prescribe antibiotics which only play havoc on your immune system. My husband started having problems last April and his family physician prescribed antiobiotics. About a month later, he finally suggested an ENT specialist.

Even going to your dentist is better than going to your family physician. Most dentists are knowledgeable in spotting unusual signs of infections.

A year ago November 04 my mom thought her dentures were getting old and needed to be refitted because of pain in her ear and throat and a discomfort in her tongue, way in the back...then in October 05 she decided to quit smoking, she went to the doctors a week later because of pain in her throat turns out it was tongue and throat cancer.

GO TO THE DOCTORS.

My husband had a cancer in his salvia gland. You could see the knots right under his jaw line.The bio. showed infection. he went to ENT. DR. that had to be taken out with surgury,well it turned out cancer. HE went through 7 Wks. of radiation.And went right back to work, BUT has gone down hill since.WE have now retired.They say he does not have cancer now. BUT I think he thinks so.I hope you will go to ENT Dr.AND good luck.

After we are told our cancer is not showing up after treatment and a scan is done we still constantly think it has come back. Every little pain or bump we think it`s cancer back in our body. Our family members are celebrating that no cancer showed up on the pet scan and we are depressed daily thinking it is or will be back soon. Only us that have sat for hours with chemo dripping in our veins or laying with radiation cooking us understand this depression. Loved ones start dreading to be around us and roll their eyes when we talk about cancer. I could go on for hours about existing after cancer. You notice I didn`t say living.

I noticed in July of 06 that I had a sore throat. After a couple months I went to the family M.D. and she said it was probably a sinus infection. I had a small knot on the right side of my neck and she thought it was a bag with infection. Took an antibiotic a couple weeks and had no change. I went back and she sent me for a cat scan. I had noticed now that the sore throat was on the right side only and the knot had gotten a little larger. She called 2 days later and said cat scan shows something, but don`t worry because she thinks its sinus infection. She sent me to an ENT and it was STAGE IV SQUAEMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF RIGHT TONSIL, T2 N2 Mx and had spread to lymph nodes. 7 weeks of chemo every Monday and 29 minutes of radiation every week day.

When I got diagnosed I so wanted to talk to someone that had or had had this cancer. Please feel free anytime to contact me and ask questions or just to chat. I`m here to help. Also, if there are any Vietnam Vets with this cancer email me your unit name, year served and a way to contact you. I have a great lawyer friend that has offered to try and get us benefits for this. Its funny the VA pays for agent orange disability for lower repiratory, but not upper. How in the hell do they think it gets to the lower. Don`t give up.

Sincerely,

Ron
11th Cav
1969/70
KOREA DMZ
VIETNAM/CAMBODIA
RECON

Ron,

I can just feel your pain still coming through your words.

I think the scary part of all this is that I keep thinking in short-term instead of long-term life.  I have a vacation planned next month, same one I always take with a friend each year, and all I can think is how will I be able to go away with CANCER still looming over us. 

The hardest part is existing.  Our sons are 23 and 26, they do not have that fear of the long-term.  They talk about things in the winter, etc and all I can think is "what will CANCER be doing then?"

We have to deal with the initial illness, then the treatment but there is little said of the AFTER recovery.  We made it almost all the way through treatment but CANCER is still controlling our lives. 

Find some way to take control back.  I know the discomfort of no saliva is enough to make the Pope swear but you have to find a way to LIVE. 

I work so hard to stay focused and positive but everyone has to break down from time to time. 

If there is a branch office, congress member, etc that we can write to to contribute to your efforts to have coverage from your Service years tell me where to sign up! 

Louise

Weezy:

Thank you so much for the sincere message. That is what I really need and do not get at home. I so appreciate it and thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

 

Ron

 

On 8/12/2006 Cavman wrote:

After we are told our cancer is not showing up after treatment and a scan is done we still constantly think it has come back. Every little pain or bump we think it`s cancer back in our body. Our family members are celebrating that no cancer showed up on the pet scan and we are depressed daily thinking it is or will be back soon. Only us that have sat for hours with chemo dripping in our veins or laying with radiation cooking us understand this depression. Loved ones start dreading to be around us and roll their eyes when we talk about cancer. I could go on for hours about existing after cancer. You notice I didn`t say living. I noticed in July of 06 that I had a sore throat. After a couple months I went to the family M.D. and she said it was probably a sinus infection. I had a small knot on the right side of my neck and she thought it was a bag with infection. Took an antibiotic a couple weeks and had no change. I went back and she sent me for a cat scan. I had noticed now that the sore throat was on the right side only and the knot had gotten a little larger. She called 2 days later and said cat scan shows something, but don`t worry because she thinks its sinus infection. She sent me to an ENT and it was STAGE IV SQUAEMOUS CELL CARCINOMA OF RIGHT TONSIL, T2 N2 Mx and had spread to lymph nodes. 7 weeks of chemo every Monday and 29 minutes of radiation every week day. When I got diagnosed I so wanted to talk to someone that had or had had this cancer. Please feel free anytime to contact me and ask questions or just to chat. I`m here to help. Also, if there are any Vietnam Vets with this cancer email me your unit name, year served and a way to contact you. I have a great lawyer friend that has offered to try and get us benefits for this. Its funny the VA pays for agent orange disability for lower repiratory, but not upper. How in the hell do they think it gets to the lower. Don`t give up. Sincerely, Ron 11th Cav 1969/70 KOREA DMZ VIETNAM/CAMBODIA RECON

sir i saw that you where a vet and im not a very people person but i too am a vet, of iraq a couple of times and i have a similar problem and was woundering if u can give me some help. i have been sick with strep symptoms for the last 5 days. i no longer have the white spots in the back of my throat and the redness has almost gone away just as i think im getting better a bump has developed in the left side of my throat. i am realy worried b/c well i smoke and i smoke alot and i havnt smoked while i was sick b/c well it made it hurt worse by drying my throat out. and yesterday my toung hurt a little and as i read some of the other posts here on this Im realy worried. im 25 and well im also a 100% disabiled vet mostly from PTSD and i just went threw all the doc stuff with the V.A. keep in mind i hate doctors and its like biting bullets to get me to go to one. also with this sickness everyone else in my family has gotten it but there all mostly over it and no one had the throat problem i have with it. im sorry if im treating u as a doctor but in my opionion your smarter than one and trust u more than one. im just freaking out b/c well my throat pain today was gone and the redness greatly improved allmost gone now and this little bump  came up. its not realy disscolored or anything it doesnt hurt i just noticed it when i was looking at how my throat is doing. i also notice my sinus's gave out a little blood thinking the infection spread to them b/c i never went to the doc with this so called strep or flu or cancer what ever it is its scaring the crap outa me and i realy hate going to the doc it recalls to many bad memories and i realy sometimes freak out in the doc office especially when at the VA hospital for some reason? i was also wonderin while u where waiting on your diognoses what did they say it might be other than cancer. when u first where going threw this with them? sorry about the spelling i typed this realy fast and thank u for your help

mick

1st 503rd air assault Inf

scouts out!!!