Throat Cancer or something Else (Snuff User for approx 4 years)

blong4133

Hey everyone, I'm new to the board...I am a bit of a hypochondriac, and have been freaking out over some symptoms I've been showing recently. I'm a law student and it's really affecting my ability to focus and study for my finals, which happen to start tomorrow. I'm hoping I can get some reassurance here.

So basically, my sophmore year in undergrad, which was a little less then 4 years ago, I began using snuff. My use fluctuated over the years, some times going through a can a day, other times I would go as long as a week without a dip. I have tried to quit more than a few times, and once I made it as long as 1 month before I came back to it.

Now on to the symptoms.

Sometime around the beginning of my senior year of undergrad, I noticed by left tonsil was swollen. I put it off as a cold, and carried on as usual, and continued my snuff use. Around Christmas Break, I noticed a growth on my tonsil and began to worry, but still kept using snuff. So toward the end of my senior year, I went to see an ENT who looked in my throat (no cameras or anything, just using a mirror type thing, and told me that the growth was a papilloma on the tonsil and not to worry about it, and also told me that the bottom of my right tonsil (the one that feels swollen all the time) looked irritated, probably due to something along the lines of mild acid reflux. So I left feeling pretty good knowing that it wasn't cancer and figured that things would get better. Well they haven't.

Currently, My tonsil is still swollen. My jaw is beginning to hurt, and when I swallow, it feels as though there is a "click" or "popping" sensation when my adams apple goes up and down. For the past few days, I have noticed some pressure in my head, and especially in my right ear. I've had a headache that started on the right side of my neck, and radiated up to behind by right ear. I would periodically get a runny nose, but my nasal passages would clear and things would be fine, but the headache/neck pain stayed.

I have no pain when swollowing, and don't feel that my jaw or anything is restricted, it just hurts a little and is freaking me out.

Also, it may be pertinent to note that a few months ago, i woke up one morning and it felt as though my bite had shifted. My teeth didn't line up like they normally did. This went away in a few days and I haven't really had a problem with it since. when this occurred, I had a fair amount of pain in my jaw when trying to open my mouth.

So that's all for my rambling post. If anyone could help me out here and give me some insight it would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to get an appt. with an ENT doctor down here, but I am still on my dad's health insurance and it's a West Virginia plan. (I go to law school in Virginia) So I'm currently waiting to hear if my request for a referal to see a doctor down here will be approved. Worst case scenario, I'll have to wait about 2 weeks to see an ENT doctor.

Thanks!