Hey all. I haven't been able to get into a Dr. yet, but I have a question. I've seen a couple of messages referring to this, but not exactly.

I have a small lump (the size of a pea?) on the INSIDE of my tongue on my right side. It can't be seen by just looking, however, sometimes, if I bend my tongue back behind my teeth, you can see a white spot where it's trying to protrude. However, I can tell the white is just the skin stretching and not the lump itself. It's painless unless I press on it too much, then my tongue gets sore. And it seems more prevalent in the morning when I first wake up. As far as I know, it hasn't grown any, but it does seem to me like it will change size throughout the day. I have a habit of biting down slighty and pushing the area back and forth through my teeth, so that seems to make it smaller. If I press too much, with my teeth or fingers, the size goes down but will return to a certain size. However, that size is not generally the same as in the morning. Am I making sense here?

I'm 26, not a smoker or chewer, and not a heavy drinker. Just at social events and on weekends. I consider myself in good health with having no major problems in the past. I'm not overweight, but I could lose about 10 lbs to get to my "regular" weight.

Anyway, I'm holding out hope it's just a messed up gland. Does anyone else have any ideas, or experiences like this? Thanks.
Original Post
Hello everyone! Just like you MySpamAddress, I have noticed a lump the size of a pea inside the right portion of my tongue, just about half an inch from the tip of the tongue. And yes, in the mornings it feels 'bulkier'. I also press it with my teeth and that seems to decrease it's size, but pressing it too much also makes it painful. I went to an ENT and he told me that sometimes glands in the tongue get blocked and become bulky. Weeks have passed and I still have the lump and I'm getting bothered by it, even thought I don't have sympthoms that might indicate something serious other than the lump itself. In a previous post, a person experiencing the same condition was told that it was due to a salivary duct and that she had it removed. Could the surgery to move such lump cause other complications such as loss of taste or movement, swallowing problems, or even speech? Any feeback would be greatly appreciated.

It isn't in the bottom of my tongue and when moving my tongue, I still cannot see the lump from the bottom or from the top. I just can feel it with my fingers and teeth. When I noticed the lump I obviously freaked. The ENT asked me if I had experienced loss of movement of the tongue, loss of taste, or pain. I have none of that. I will probably see my ENT again because I'm full of questions! LOL Take care!
Hello again! It's hard to describe it. Mine does not really poke out more from the bottom. I feel it the same from the top and from the bottom. It's kind of in the 'middle'. Probably it does not make sense. LOL. My lump feels like a bulky vein, probably half an inch or less long. By the way, I'm 23y/o, male, non-smoker and non-drinker. I just don't understand why I have it. Have you seen an ENT? For how long have you had it?
Hey there...I got a lump inside my tongue about a week ago, and I was very concerned...I thought it was serious as I smoke and have my tongue peirced...but turns out, when I went to my Doctor he just said, yep infection, thats it...he gave me some anitbiotics and the lump is now half the size, I have been on the pills for 3 days...sall good, except for the fact I have lost my tongue peircing...I took it out in hopes that the swelling would go down, and the hole closed :O....not happy Jan!!
but yeah anyway...thats my story

About 2 yr ago, I woke up lying next to my husband (then fiance) and my tongue had swelled so much that I spoke like Corky Thatcher from a 90's t.v. series. It took about a month or two for the swelling to go down enough where it didn't distract me into playing with the lump. It was in the middle or between the top and bottom layer of the tongue, as well.I went to my physician, and wasted a few hundred dollars for him to tell me he had no clue what it was, had never seen or heard of anything like it and to keep a close eye on it. I still have a hard lump in the middle of my tongue. Every now and then it will swell up, but usually "deflates" itself. All I can say is warm liquids, and Ibuprofen seemed to help.
Hi guys

I'm a three and a half year survivor of stage 2 tongue cancer. The left side of my tongue was removed and replaced with a piece of my arm. I speak as well as I ever did.

My tumor was located on the bottom of my tongue but gradually grew up and around the side and it didn't hurt nearly as much as my ear did (referred pain).

If you've already seen your regular doctors and came away with nothing conclusive, I strongly urge you to see an ENT.

Please keep us all posted--the folks on this site are really helpful.

Hoping for the best for all of you.

Julia (and Flappy the tongueflap)
I got the same thing a few months ago. It was a pea sized lump in the middle of my tongue which would get larger and smaller daily.
I have been using chewing tobacco daily for about 20 years.
I have just had a biopsy, and will get the results in a day or two. I'm glad to hear a few of these instances haven't been cancer so far. Also, my doctor mentioned it didn't look cancerous and maybe more like scar tissue.
Hello all-
I had the same thing, however, mine wasn't quite a pea sized lump...it was like an uncooked noodle, about a quarter of an inch or so. It was located on the right side of my tongue, and was about an inch or so from the tip of my tongue. I saw three people... my primary doctor who told me he was 85% sure it wasn't cancer, but then told me he wasn't sure what it was (who does that?), I saw my dentist who told me it was an infected or swollen gland (but also told me to see an ENT), and then an ENT who told me that it was an inflamed saliva gland, and she did the whole cancer screening on me.. through the nose, down the throat, everything. I used chewing tobacco for over 15 years, and the results came back as not cancerous. I was more worried then anyone will ever know. I guess what I want to tell you all with this problem is... Don't worry until you need to. There are many things that this could be, but go get it checked and move on. Also, early detection is a life saver, so keep tabs on yourself. The earlier the better. If ever in doubt, go get it checked out. My friends make fun of me because I tend to worry more then I should, but there is no price for my piece of mind. I hope this helps someone. And remember the power of the mind. If you believe you can... you can. Take care all!

I have the same thing in exactly the same position. Its a lump that my teeth have played with for a couple of years now (certain its more than 2 but I'm uncertain on how long). I actually thought nothing of it and now want to get it checked as in the mornings - especially if I wake up on my back - it can be really inflamed and painful if I chew it as I do throughout the day.

It did start out around the size just smaller than a pea, but its more like double that now. It used to go completely by the end of the day sometimes, but within the past year it does not.

No experience in this myself at all but saliva gland does seem to be a reasonable explanation as sometimes when I'm eating it can inflame as if I had just woke up, this kinda hurts a little bit if you try and continue eating, but give it a moment or two to chill and you can carry on the feast.

If your like me then you'll avoid surgery at all costs, I will still go to my GP see if he thinks that it is a serious case though, if not then ill just continue to live with it until it becomes too much to handle.

Thaks for this forum it has eased my mind, but i will still just get it checked to be on the safe side.

Take it easy.
Hello, I've also had this lump the size of a pea in my tongue on the left side. I get the worst dry mouth, and my taste buds are also very stand outish(there not huge but still noticeable) I think its causing this because the symptoms showed up just about the same time as the lump. Has anyone else had these same symptoms?
since i was about 11 (im 15 now) ive had the same sort of thing in my mouth, left side of the tongue a pea sized lump. it used to be smaller but over the years it has become a bit bigger. not by much tho and not entirely noticeable. there is now another one that i have recently (over the past few months) noticed, it is on the right side parallell to the other one. it is smaller than the one on the left and they are both hard and do not change size during the day. i went to the doctor for a check up and had the doctor feel my tongue, she said she wasnt too concerned about it but another one has appeared since then. they dont hurt unless i bite down on them but then again my tongue is bound to hurt if i bite it. im going to the doctor again soon to check it out again and ill post back what i find out Smiler
Hi BabyBee88

I hope your doctor can give you SOME kind of answer. It just seems odd that you've had this for about 4 years and she doesn't seem concerned. Is the upcoming appt with the same dr?

My family took a vacation to Vermont MANY years ago--we were all stunned at how green the whole place was. We visited Burlington, Montpelier and Wardsboro.

But, I digress...

Please let us know how your appointment goes.

Hello ~

I am a 51 year old female in good health. I haven’t smoked in over 20 years (& I wasn’t a heavy smoker, but I did smoke.) I don’t drink alcohol. I exercise regularly.

Some quick timeline backstory . . .

About 5 months ago I had a severe toothache (2nd tooth on the bottom left from center.) Took x-rays & it showed nothing. As I was examining my tooth & the surrounding area I noticed (on the other side of my mouth,) this tiny blue dot on my gum line. After about 3 weeks the dot was removed & diagnosed as a “gingival cyst.” Now by this time, the pain in my tooth had abated, but when I pull my lip back over my tooth I get a pressure of small pain.

About 1 month ago, I woke up and about 15 minutes later I realized my tongue was swollen with a lump (the size of a pea inside of my tongue, not on the outside.) By the time I got to the bathroom to look at it, it was gone. It’s almost at the very tip of my tongue & I can feel it when I press hard between my lips. The oral surgeon that removed the cyst said it’s nothing ~ probably some vascular-like activity . . . but now it’s happened about 4 more times and I can tell exactly when it’s going to come up because right where the lump is, my tongue gets tingly or numb ~ kind like how your tongue may feel a couple of hours after you burn it on something hot. It’s freaking me ~ such a strange thing . . . all these mouth issues. I should probably mention that 4 years ago I discovered a large lipoma (fatty tissue benign tumor) on the left side of my neck.

I’m going to consult w/my ENT doc & see what she says.

You're doing the right thing by going to your ENT about this. The things you mentioned that concern me are the tingliness or numbness (my tongue felt like that before I got "Flappy") and the "vascular-like activity" (cancer grows its own set of veins and arteries--like illegal plumbing).

When you go to your ENT, take a list of all of the questions you have, and try not to go alone. It's nice to have a calm head who would be more likely to remember any questions you might have forgotten.

Please let us know how things go when you see your ENT.


Do everything Julia says! Smoking and drinking are certainly contributing factors, but not necessarily causes - we have all sorts of members who neither drank nor smoked. Go figure. As one of my docs said, "Sometimes it's just a crapshoot."

Let us know the result of your ENT appointment.

Take care,

I broke a couple of teeth several months ago. They got infected and I went to the dentist today and started on antibiotics and pain meds in preprartion for extraction. I just woke from a nap with a lump inside my tongue that hurts like crazy. After reading these posts I feel better & I will wait for a day or two to see if the antibiotic therapy works. I'll keep you posted on the results...
Hello all ~

An update following my ENT appointment. All clear. The tingling feeling I get is in relation to blood rushing to vein at the tip of my tongue. Sometimes it will engorge with more blood, causing a swelling, or in this case a "lump." The doc said I've probably have had these more than I realize & to expect that it will happen again, but there's nothing to worry about. Thanks for the support & best wishes to all.
A couple days ago (unless it was there earlier and I didn't notice) I became aware of a lump a little to the right of the middle of my tongue about a half inch from the tip (if that matters?). About the size of a pea, like most people have been describing, but it was more oblong than round. It was less painful than it was annoying!
My teeth haven't been able to leave it alone for a few days now and it's gotten more sore, but it feels mostly numb. It seems to have gotten larger over the course of today.

I bought some canker sore patch sort of things that adhere to the sore and are supposed to protect and numb the area. But it was much too bulky to have on my tongue and I needed to talk! so I peeled the patch off. This seemed to take off a good chunk of my little taste buds with it. It didn't hurt but it made the sore much more sensitive to hot foods or liquids. The taste buds have seemed to crop back up over the spot already but they're whitish and odd looking, and the lump is still there with a vengeance.
I've also had a mild sore throat for a while and a very dry mouth. Dry mouth is a side effect of a new medicine I've been taking though. Can dry mouth lead to an inflamed gland or anything? I also have a smooth red strip, on the same side of my tongue, with no taste buds at all. It can get sore sometimes.
I hardly ever drink. I do smoke but I literally go through about a pack in 1-2 months and half that pack is usually bummed to friends that smoke regularly. I guess it would serve me right to get tongue cancer! my parents would be so sad to know I smoke at all. I feel a twinge of guilt every time I light up. But I'm hardly a regular.
I'm 3 years in to college, and in my chosen career path it is vital for me to be able to speak. I'm horrified at the prospect of losing my tongue and ability to speak well. I don't know what I'd do with myself. It's my life.

I'm sorry to ramble, I'm just very scared and can't sleep. Thank you. It's comforting to hear other people's experiences.
Hi Dove

First, stop smoking completely, utterly and "once and for all."

The next thing would be to get an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible, whether it's your regular family doctor or the student health office at your college. This site really isn't the place for diagnosis. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, have a list of all of your symptoms and questions with you when you go in. The more information you have for them, the better an answer you can get.

I don't know if this will ease your mind, but half of my tongue was replaced in 2005 and I speak as well as I ever did. People I've met recently don't know unless I tell them (and I do) and folks I've known forever say they can't tell the difference.

Please let us know how this turns out for you.

Thank you for being so quick to respond! I really appreciate it.
I'm going to a walk-in clinic today since it's sunday and my regular doc. is closed. They may not be my best bet, but I'm very curious to figure something out. I'll keep you posted. Thank you for your support. It means a lot.
Hi both Julia and Dove.

I am an 18 year old male, Sometime between last night and this morning i got the very same lump about the size of a small pea, right hand side, about 5-10 millimeters from the tip etc.
I am kind of worried because i am/was a smoker. i smoked for about 4 years and quit last night at middnight. although i would like to think it could just be something swollen or a petty infection but knowing my luck im in for an unwanted surprise. I would hate for my parents to have to go through this if it is what i think it is. Any suggestions about what i should do first and so forth?
, i have a ENT specialist appointment on the 11th of october but that is for my ear (long story). Im thinking i would be able to ask them to check it out while im there?
Any response would be greatly appreciated.
Good Morning Zac,
Your ENT man will probably take a look but it would be a good idea to have a chat with your GP.
If the lump grew from nothing to the size of a pea overnight it is either one of the fastest growing cancers on record or something else and I would put my money on the second option.But don't ignore it, see your GP, no one can afford to take a risk where there is even the slightest chance of the growth being malignant.
Giving up smoking is a smart move, it is not easy, stick at it. Never ever again have a puff of a cig or cigar etc one more puff and you go back to square one. When you feel you need a smoke remember the worry you have at the moment and ask yourself "is it worth the risk?" and remember this; something like 85% of mouth cancer patients are smokers!
Keep Smiling
Thankyou for that. I wasnt thinking very rationally or clearly which kind of make me a bit uneasy, but i really do appreciate the immediate response, it has given me a sence of reassurance. I will go to my GP and see what hi thinks i can do with it and see what happens after that. Thankyou again. Do you have any thought of what it could be? i have swollen and red tonsils atm with a very coarse throat,and the inside of my lip on the walls of my cheek is ripped up to pieces but im fairly positive thats from a different occurance althought they did happen within a 10 hour period of eachother.
Good Morning again Zac,
I am neither a doctor nor a dentist, just an old chap who has been through the mill with mouth cancer (four times to date and currently awaiting the result of yet another biopsy)so I have an idea on the kind of tricks a worried mind can play.However I am not in a position to suggest what your problem might be, your GP is the best person to sort things out. Please let us know how you get on.Your mouth sounds a bit of a mess, what have you been doing chewing hand grenades?
Keep Smiling
Hi John

I hope everything goes well. I've got everything crossed for you.

Congrats on quitting smoking. I hope you stay that way. Trust me, your parents probably are already aware that there's something amiss. When you go to the ENT please don't go alone. Ear pain was my major symptom. They'll check out your ears as a matter of course. They found no redness, swelling or anything. Under normal circumstances that's a good thing; in my case it meant no infection, but was an indicator of tongue cancer. Is it possible that you've bitten or burnt it? Still, don't ignore it.

Let us know how it turns out.

Again thankyou both for the info. it puts my mind at ease a bit.
John haha it is true, my mouth and throat is a bit of a warzone atm,i did have a bit of a big weekend when i did some things i usually dont which is making me think but i just cant shake the feeling that the smoking has had something to do with the bump.

Julia thankyou for the support. you both sound so comfortable with talking about it with me (a total stranger) and i thankyou for this. Looking at my ear will be of no use, i have had about 8 operations on it for the past 13 years of my life. i guess im just a walking bombshell.
I am pretty sure that my swollen torn lip/inside of my cheek is because i bit it, mutiple times. the things i was on were basically the cause of that.
i will be sure to inform you on how it goes, is 2 weeks too long to wait you think to have it checked? because i have an ENT appointment on the 11th of october but i could contact my GP if you think i should sooner
I developed a large sublingual lump in the middle of my tongue and I am quite worried about it. It has been there for two months after suddenly appearing in a rather painful and inflammed way. (A similar lump appeared under my chin at exactly the same time but subsequently disappeared although the tongue lump has remained). The inflammation went down and the lump seemed smaller so my dentist thought I could wait and see what happens but a few days ago I suddenly felt it has grown and gotten harder and feels painful again.

I went to see a local ENT but he has no idea what it is and wants me to wait another 5 weeks to see. He seemed unconcerned that it could be cancer or anything malignant. I feel concerned that it would be dangerous to wait any longer. He says doing a biopsy or an MRI would be of no help.

I did not feel good about the first ent so today I saw a second one who I felt much better about. He felt confident it was not cancer BUT he said he had absolutely no idea what it was and never saw or heard of anything like this in his 35+ years of practicing. He guessed it could be an infection and put me on antibiotics. He also said I should see a Head and Neck specialist in 10 days. He was very concerned about the position of the lump and thought it will likely need removal and this will be very bad because of the location.

Does anyone out there have anything to share with me? I would greatly appreciate any insights or further information. I'm scared and not sure what to do.

Thanks for any help!
it's been a while since i posted but i wanted to wait to be sure the good news was true...

i am extremely lucky and happy to say that it turns out the lump was a mysterious infection. after all the scary dire predictions and the crazy unknown phase where they couldn't test me something happened. the lump continued to grow and a white patch hit the surface so finally the last ent had something he could biopsy. he put me on some strong antibiotics and i am so thankful and glad to report that that did the trick and it's shrank to almost nothing. it's still there but very small and i will monitor it to see if it grows again. luckily something of the lump infection hit the surface of my tongue or else they were talking that the only other way was to cut in there which would seriously compromise so many functions of my mouth.

anyone out there reading this: please urge your doctor to consider that the lump could be an infection and to try antibiotics. it's crazy that three serious and long time doctors were completely at a loss to guess what the lump was. thank goodness it all turned out this way. i'm grateful and feel lucky and i hope this will help others who may get the same run around and be able to help their doctors find the solution.

thanks so much for your supportive replies to my e-mail. it was kind and thoughtful of you to write. i felt encouraged and appreciative of this forum where i could express my concerns.

thanks and love
another thing in case you have a similar issue...

the second ent put me on antibiotics that did not work and that was depressing because it seemed to be ruling out an infection. as a matter of fact while i was on that course of antibiotics the lump got bigger and went to the surface, which was lucky, because it was an infection that needed more specific, different and stronger antibiotics. so even if antibiotics don't work at first be sure your doctor has prescribed the right ones!

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