Growth on tonsil - urgent ENT appointment . Help

[redboxerclub]

a few weeks ago I bit my tongue and was inspecting it when I noticed a grey growth on my tonsil. GP thins it’s a cyst but referred me for an urgent appointment.

this quite daunting especially seeing the words urgent suspected cancer on the letter. But I realise 90> will be non cancerous.

however i am still worried about the examination and that they may do so thing grim to my throat tomorrow like a biopsy.

I struggled when the gp tried to inspect it with a gag reflex that i just out of my control.

any word of advice

If you struggle with gagging, you can buy an anaesthetic gargle from the chemist. I would wait until you get to the doctor’s surgery and pop into the bathroom and gargle for a minute or two. The doctor might want to use a numbing spray but I would use the gargle first anyway.

It's very scary when you get an urgent referral, but as you say statistically most urgent referrals turn out not to be cancer.

All you can do is distract yourself and calm yourself - meditation or breathing exercises will help you go in to the appointment with a slightly lower starting point.

They'll advise and be very experienced with looking at throats.

It’s not a tonsil stone is it? I’m sure the doctor would have recognised it if so, but the fact you said grey made me wonder. They’re sort of off-white.

I wouldn't use anything without checking with the team there in case it cuts across their procedures.

They might do a nasendoscopy which is a camera down the nose, it's pretty uncomfortable and I suppose unnatural feeling, but not painful.

I suspect that for tonsils they wouldn't do a biopsy there and then, and would get you back and do it under a general.

Waiting for these appointments is the worst! Remember that it's quite possibly a nothingness that would have come and gone with your noticing if you hadn't bitten your tongue!

An thank you all so much! I feel better now. I was spiralling. And @Spirothedragon thank you for your insight- I though about a camera thought the mouth but the nose will be fine - had one before.

I had a similar experience a few years ago. The consultant was lovely. I sniffed a nasal anaesthetic up my nose and the camera went in without any discomfort. I could also see what he was looking at on a monitor. I can’t even remember what it was but it was all fine. The letter saying “2 week cancer pathway” is scary but it’s always good to know you’re being taken seriously and dealt with quickly. Good luck with your appointment.

Not a good idea to do that until you’ve spoken to the doctor and know what will be happening.

I had a similar situation a few years ago. They ended up taking my tonsils out and then confirming the cyst was benign.

I’ve had no issues since however tonsil removal as an adult is brutal. Some countries refuse to do it for over 40’s due to the awful recovery process. If you know any young kids who had it done and were ok after a bowl of ice cream and a bit of rest, I can assure you the adult version is nothing like that!

@ChloeHHthank you.

can I ask why they decided to take tonsils out??

Update: consultant was so lovely! He gave my neck a through exam on the outside and then was much petter than the GP at using a tongue depressor it was totally fine
and I had done some breathing before and during. Then I had the scope up my nose and that was fine too. I mean I wouldn’t chose to have done everyday but it wasn’t painful or uncomfortable, just weird and unusual.

he suspects a mucous cyst which sound grim but he can’t tell so it and mri and then will decide if the tonsils come out

I feel better now having had the appointment. I am aware how awful it is and need three weeks off work.

It was a large cyst that covered the bulk of the visible side of my left tonsil. The consultant didn’t like the look of it so recommended tonsil removal.

The NHS said they would only remove 1 tonsil which I thought was ridiculous so I went private and asked for a second opinion. They recommended removal of both which I had done privately. Thankfully it was covered by my healthcare policy at work.

I did have quite large tonsils that regularly got infected so I was happy to have them removed. Although the recovery was awful, I’m glad I had them removed as I’ve had no issues since then.

Thank you @ChloeHH thankfully he has said he is taking both of mine out.