Weird thing underneath my tongue

[The Raven]

I have had a sore on the underside of my tongue for almost a week now. I have had little bumps there come and go throughout my life and I also get cold sores. I've never had sex with anyone besides my wife (who also is STD free).

At first I thought this would be like any of the other bumps that I have had on my tongue, but it just looked different. It is more of a (edit) white flap looking thing on the left little line under my tongue as opposed to the blister looking things that I have had before. After a few days it seemed to get smaller but now it is bigger and hurts more.

I eat healthy and haven't had any real dietary changes that would spur this kind of thing.

So are there any doctors in the house that can help me out? Or maybe someone else that has had the same problem?

I tried searching for help on the Net but everyone just said, "If it persists for more that 2 weeks, see a doctor." What the hell kind of response is that? There are people out there who just want to know what might be going on. Who knows, what if it's the Big C? I'd think that the sooner I go in the better. To hell with a week or two.

I, like many people busy with work and school and not a lot of time to frequent the ER, just want to know if we should be worried. I of course, doubt that this is cancer but would like to know what is going on.

Thanks for your help!

EDIT: NOT A SMOKER/DRINKER

 

[newnameman]

Text

 

[TraumaRN]

Well do you smoke? Drink? Chew tobacco?

Gotta include your social history

It could just be a really nasty cold sore(which is usually caused by the herpes virus NOT the genital version).

What color is it? White?

Do you notice any swelling/redness/tenderness under your jaw or in your throat? Could even be an inflamed salivary gland.

EDIT: or you could have one of these.....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphthous_ulcer

Most people know them as canker sores.

 

[cker]

Uh. I wouldn't take it to the ER. If you have any general practitioner that you normally visit, then go there. If not, this is a good time to try to pick a doctor. I started always going to the same guy a couple of years ago and with very few visits it's paid off -- he remembers things that I've dealt with and picks up on patterns before I do. I'm luck enough to work near his office, so it's trivial to pop over on a lunch hour.

You should get it checked out, but I get bumps like you're talking about from time to time. There are variuos herpes viruses (THAT kind, and not THAT kind) that can cause oral reactions. When I was little we called them 'lie bumps'. I get painful mouth-bumps when I eat too much salty food for a few days, and when I knock the sodium off and get back to a reasonable diet, they heal up. That's clearly not what's up here, but perhaps something is going on internally that would cause this. Smoking might be a factor.

Salt-water mouth washing may help. It's helped my bumps in the past (though I am not sure why salt in my belly = bumps, while salt water in my mouth = less bumps)

 

[Turnpike]

You should see a dentist. Physicians know didly about the mouth. If it hurts, and it's only a week or 2 old.... it's not cancer. Oral cancer is generally a painless lesion that grows very slow over the course of months to years. There are many things that can cause sore spots in the mouth: could be viral, fungal, from mechanical trauma, a blocked salivary duct, chemical or thermal irritation, etc list goes on. Go see your dentist, work and school are no excuses for putting off health concerns.

 

[drerickarim]

Originally posted by: DeathBUA


which is usually caused by the herpes virus NOT the genital version

lol ok.

some personaly history and a photo would help.

 

[Sc4freak]

Can't afford to see a real doctor, eh?

 

[The Raven]

Thanks for the help so far. Good idea to go to the DDS since I need a cleaning anyway
To answer the other questions... don't smoke or drink and as for the color of the thing...
Like I said it is a flap looking thing and lies flat against the tongue. So the visible side was white and the under side (when I lifted it) was reddish, like it was inflamed. As of today though, it is more or less red all over. Here are some pictures. Sorry their not very good. And of course their gross looking.

Close up

Head on
It's on the left side. Oh and my veins don't really show up that much in real life lol. Not sure what the camera is doing.

 

[jordanz]

It's an aposthumous ulcer, I do believe. Usually caused by multiple things, uncurable. Sprout at random sometimes. Could be stress.. or a food you ate that irritated the lining in your mouth. Anything that contains sodium lauryl sulfate usually will cause such things (toothpastes, mouthwash, etc).

But if you said its a flap and such, it might be something totally different.

 

[The Raven]

I thought ulcers were a dissolving of the lining of the tissue. This is more like a growth or inflammation. Can this still be considered an ulcer?

 

[The Raven]

touche on the edit jordan lol

 

[Excelsior]

Dude, big fvcking deal. I get those like 4 or 5 times a year, at random. Mine always go away in less than a week.

 

[jordanz]

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Dude, big fvcking deal. I get those like 4 or 5 times a year, at random. Mine always go away in less than a week.

Yeah, that's an average time. You can get a few that can last a few weeks. I get them as well, thats why I know the info. It's not that much of a bother, but sometimes I get them right in the back of my throat and food touches them everytime I swallow, so its an annoyance.

Originally posted by: The Raven
touche on the edit jordan lol

lol. yeah, pretty close.

 

[The Raven]

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Dude, big fvcking deal. I get those like 4 or 5 times a year, at random. Mine always go away in less than a week.

Sorry didn't mean to make it sound like that big of a deal, but I just want to know what's going on. Who knows, maybe there is a way to reduce the occurance of such sores. If your like me and get cold sores and cankers, another sore is all I need.

 

[Excelsior]

Originally posted by: The Raven

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Dude, big fvcking deal. I get those like 4 or 5 times a year, at random. Mine always go away in less than a week.

Sorry didn't mean to make it sound like that big of a deal, but I just want to know what's going on. Who knows, maybe there is a way to reduce the occurance of such sores. If your like me and get cold sores and cankers, another sore is all I need.

Don't apologize, I didn't mean to sound so rude.

 

[LS20]

strange, i used to have something similar. on the underside of my tongue, near the center-divider slit thing, i had a small pink/whitish cylinder thing sticking out... about .5mm in diameter and 1.5mm in length. it was there for a longgg time... and i guess some years ago it disappeared on its own. eh. doesnt hurt or anything , though

 

[The Raven]

Ok. Now the damn thing is white again.

Well do you guys think I should use mouthwash on this thing. jordan said that it might not be good because it causes cankers, but I usually use listerine on my cankers so that I can enjoy a meal and because it seems to heal them faster. It stings like hell, but after a couple of rounds I can't feel canker sores at all and I can enjoy a meal (plus I feel so fresh and clean).

So do you think the listerine would help heal the thing?

 

[Excelsior]

Cut it off with surgical scissors then cauterize the wound with a hot poker.

 

[lokiju]

Go to a doctor?

 

[The Raven]

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Cut it off with surgical scissors then cauterize the wound with a hot poker.

Well I didn't have surgical scissors, so I used the toe nail clippers. Hurt like a MF!
I don't have a poker since I live in an apt, so I used hydrogen peroxide and a cigarette lighter.

So far, just some occasional bleeding. Funny thing is that it hurts more than it did before. Now my whole tongue is sore.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Weird thing underneath my tongue

Sorry, I must have left a pubic hair in there. I'll try to be more careful next time.

 

[Xyo II]

Originally posted by: The Raven

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Cut it off with surgical scissors then cauterize the wound with a hot poker.

Well I didn't have surgical scissors, so I used the toe nail clippers. Hurt like a MF!
I don't have a poker since I live in an apt, so I used hydrogen peroxide and a cigarette lighter.

So far, just some occasional bleeding. Funny thing is that it hurts more than it did before. Now my whole tongue is sore.

:Q I didn't think he was being serious....

 

[altonb1]

Stop licking toilet seats in the AIDS clinic and maybe you wouldn't get the sores in the 1st place!

Quoth The Raven, "Nevermore"

 

[MX2]

hair piece

 

[jordanz]

Originally posted by: The Raven

Originally posted by: Excelsior
Cut it off with surgical scissors then cauterize the wound with a hot poker.

Well I didn't have surgical scissors, so I used the toe nail clippers. Hurt like a MF!
I don't have a poker since I live in an apt, so I used hydrogen peroxide and a cigarette lighter.

So far, just some occasional bleeding. Funny thing is that it hurts more than it did before. Now my whole tongue is sore.

That doesn't sound too appealing and seems like you may have the possibility of some sort of infection especially using nail clippers to cut open some skin, making a wound. Not a smart move, I'd say.