Shit - very very worried about this - please please read and give your view....

[lisalisa]

I developed an ulcer on the underside of my tongue a few days ago. the first day or so i soldiered on as you do but the second day the pain became very bad and my neck became tender with a noticeable lump. My ear also started to hurt terribly and I developed a fever ( slight) with very achey legs.

I went to my GP who said he coudln't feel any neck tenderness but that my ear was inflamed and that I had a mild temp ( about 38C). He gave me antibiotics - this was 3 days ago and I am no better -- my ear is stuill painful and my neck hurts. The ucler is still as painful as wever.

What is owrrying me is the comibnation of symptons - I know I shouldn't have but I googled - thinking it would come up as some kind of virus or that it would be confirmed that it would take 10 days to clear etc but instead I came up with lots of stuff about mouth cancer. I ignored this not being a dramatic type ( or a smoker) but each site I visited seemed to link swollen neck and glands with ulcers - the swollen neck part being a symptom of immune probelms i.e. cancer.

Has anyoen had my combinationof symptons and been ok? Anyone any experience at all?

Have yuo ever had a coldsore?

No, but tbh I did wonder about mouth cancer as ulcers sometimes are a sign.

I would go back to the GP and ask for another check up.

Sounds like coldsore to me. Take some antihistamine and see how it feels after that. If it feels much better I would say you have nothing to worry about. Also put some bonjela on the ulcer. Stop worrying!

I'd get a second opinion - try not to panic but best to get it doublechecked.

Found this.

Symptoms of Mouth Ulcers
There are various symptoms for mouth ulcers. As it appears it exhibits some typical symptoms, whereas severe attacks show other symptoms.

Following are the symptoms at the onset of ulcers:

• Sharp stinging or burning sensation
• Red spot or swelling on the gum surface
• Pain or discomfort with some foods

In case of severe ulcers following are the main symptoms of mouth ulcers:

• Inflamed lymph glands near the jaws in the upper region of the neck
• Fever accompanied with pain

I often get mouth ulcers when i am run down.
Could it be that the pain in your ear/neck are caused by a virus - hence the antibiotics not working. Your neck has lots of lymph nodes that will swell if you are unwell.If the ulcer hasn't cleared in a week or gets worse I would go back to the GP. Try not to worry - easier said than done!

i had a mouth ulcer earlier in the year for a month that wouldnt go, and it got infected.

the glands on that side of my neck got swollen as well, i couldnt eat and lost loads of weight, in the end i went to the gp and was prescribed a mouthwash and anti biotics, which did help clear it up in a few days

it was agony, it even woke me in the night when i swallowed, so i sympathise with you

It sounds like you are very run down with an infected mouth ulcer. YOu need to go back to your GP and get some treatment and take it v v easy.

Some mouth cancers are ulcers. The vast huge majority of ulcers are not cancers. Sounds more like infection to me. If worried go to dentist rather than GP.

Mouth cancer is more a disease or older men who drink and or smoke. It runs in my Dad's family.

For mouth ulcers I would try Rinstead pastilles and corsodyl mouthwash.

Dentists are generally very good at diagnosing anything in the mouth. (Often better than GPs I mean).

It does sound as if it might be related to coldsores though.

I've sufferd from mouth ulcers for years and depending on the palce my glands often come up too. I nearly always get them when I've got a cold/virus or am run down. Sounds to me like you have a virus and the resulting in you getting an ulcer. Mine can last easily for a week to ten days. I've got about six at the moment and have had a phlemy cough for about a week which I believe is all linked. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. rinse your mouth out with warm salt water or gargle with asprin ( this you swollow don't spit out)

hi

please don't worry

you almost certainly have a virus. this fits your symptoms of feeling achey/fever and tender lymph glands. you could have a mouth ulcer because of the virus and being run down or you could have a type of virus that causes ulcers (eg HSV1) neither is anything to worry about.

you are probably not feeling better after 3 days of antibiotics because its a virus rather than a bacteria so antibiotics won't work

i would put my house on the fact that you don't have motuh cancer. its true mouth ulcers can occasionally be mouth cancer, and if a mouth ulcer was present for over 3 weeks, especially if it was PAINLESS, then i would refer to hospital for investigation.

lymph nodes associated cancer are usually painless not painful so goes against you having anything serious.

i would carry on with the antibiotics, even if its viral, becasue you don't want to encourage resistant bugs by only half completing a course. your Gp might have thought you had a bacterial infection on top and thats why he prescribed them, or he was being cautious. iw oudl wait a few days before going back to see your GP unless its getting worse rather than better.

hope that helps.

i don't think a dentist would add anything.

what antibiotics did he give you?

firstly don't go looking on the internet as you will always come up with worse case senarioes. This is the pot speaking to the kettle here as I am currently going through a weird illness and have made the horrible mistake of googling, and judging by the diseases I've come up with I should probably be dead by now. .

Seriously though trust your gp and don't go near google - it can only make your fears worse.

Often if you have mouth-related conditions the lymph glands in your neck will swell. Also, if you have ulsers under your tongue this is very close to some salivary glands which can also become blocked/infected and will swell up, and this causes swelling in the jaw (I'ave had salivary gland infection and it's excruciating).

You need to rest, also ibuprophin is good for inflamation - get 400 mg and take 3x a day plus you can take paracetamol too if the pain is unbearable.

And if no better in a week then go back to your gp.

good luck x

I will explain more about why I think coldsores.

If you have never had a coldsore your first exposure to it can make you quite ill indeed - and the initial infection is quiet frequently inside the mouth and is often confused with a mouth ulcer.

Additional symptoms that are usually associated with it are a high temp (often over 38.5 - expecially in children) and glands like golf balls (which may be the lump in your neck). Often the abdominal glands are swollen too which can cause in some patients - but not all.

The ear ache could be the pressue of the swollen glands (if it is te same side) not allowing the eustachian tube to drain properly. It is actually a pretty brutal viral infection - can cause lethargy and flu ish symptoms (achey legs?)

Finally Antibiotics and anti-histamines will do nothing for this. Antivirals can be effective but have to be given within hte first 12-36hr so you are past that unfortunately. Teh main thing you can do is rest

And (I know you don't want to hear it) but it will take you a good 10-14 days to feel back to yourself if it is a primary coldsore infection. The ulcer should start to feel better around day 5 though.

agree with xmasshopping (have you really finished it already??) could well be HSV1 virus which causes coldsores - even though you don't have one - or another type of virus (glandular fever or non specific upper respiratory tract virus)and you just have a mouth ulcers as a by product of being run down

either way rest up and relax

if you are getting worse rather than better go back to Gp and he may think about a blood test for diagnosis

yes to luvaduck

v v impressed
haven't bought a thing yet!

Thanks everyone - shortly after finishing the email my termperature really soared - I startged to shiver and shake ( literally) and my ear stgarted to seriosly hurt as did my head. I thought to myself that this just isn't right and went to a differnt GP ( actually a private GP who I very rarely use due to having to pay for what I shoudl be able to get for free but having had bad epxeriences with trying to get appointments with nhs gp I registered with private gp and thought I'd either go to her now or down to accident and emergecny i felt that bad).

Private gp said it was a quite serious bacterial infcetion which had started off on teh ulcer and spread. As my temp was so high ( 39.5 and i drove myself as dh was abroad) and my headache so severe she half wanted to get me admitted to hospital to monitor the spread etc but settled on 2 types of strong anti bs and an oral anitib rinse as well as aspirin mouthrinse.

I am wondering abotu my immune system as this seems a very extreme reaction to a simple ulcer and , coupled with the fact that I had cellulities a while back that spread rapdily , I think my immune systgem could seriously use a boost.

Oh dear....that does sound serious.

Hope the ABs kick in soon.

Hope you are tucked up in bed with a nice cuppa.
Just thought I'd add my tuppence worth:
I can't think of any bacterial infections that would present as an oral ulcer then spread to ear. I wonder if ear infection is what is making you unwell and mouth ulcer is unrelated. VERY unlikely that this is cancer (step away from google!), not least because mouth cancer is usually painless. Lots of conditions can give you mouth ulcers, so if it doesn't clear up in a week or so or is larger than 1cm in diameter I would go and see your dentist, who is likely to be more familiar with mouth ulcers than your GP.
Also at aspirin rinse, thought this went out with the ark, aspirin can actually CAUSE quite nasty mouth ulcers/burns.

Thanks all and pyjamarama - at aspirin rinse causing ulcers!!! Quite surprised as this practice is extremely forward thinking and knowledgeable - called the harley street of mill hill - chock full of different types of practitioners.

Anuyway it worked =- now feeling abotu 98% better so something must have kicked in ....

Aspirin rinses/gargles are perfectly safe- ENT surgeons often recommend them for tonsillitis. Aspirin tablets held under your tongue can cause ulceration.

The herpes simplex - cold sore - virus is bloody awful if it hits you hard. If you have had a cold this would explain both the ulcer and the inflamed lymph glands.

Clove oil, directly applied on the ulcer will numb it very effectively (and it's antiseptic).

The prob with antibiotics is that you don't get the benefit till you finish taking them in most people - so it's 5-7 days till they actually aid your body enough in curing the infection that you notice so you may be being a bit premature. See how you feel on Monday and if you are still worried go back.

I get both mouth ulcers and huge coldsores in my mouth.

Here is what the coldsore is like, see if any of the symptoms match. Generally a shooting pain up and down my face when one is coming on. The coldsore itself is often a blackish grey bump. (An ulcer is like a mini volcano with a sunken white puss filled centre). I have headache, shivering, fever and feel pretty ropey for about 3 days. It will take about 10-14 days to go. They will come on if I am rundown but sometimes if I burn or cut my mouth.

Aciclovar (spell?) is an antiviral that is often prescribed. I was on it for a year at one point due to chronic recurrence (you would think I could spell it by now). The other thing is a supplement called L-Lycene. If you feel one coming on load up, at this stage start taking 3 a day and vitamin C for healing. You can put zovirax in your mouth, so do so. Ulcer creams like adcortyl will make it worse. I would go to a dentist, orally they are better then doctors.

You should start to feel better in the next day or two if it is a coldsore. The actual sore itself will get sorer before it gets better, re eating brushing your teeth etc.

TBH if I were you I'd hope it was bacterial, as once you start getting coldsores they will reoccur. You need to take a suplement to boost your immune system like echinecea. Are you stressed ATM?