Mountainlaura, the lump in your tongue is clearly interfering with your quality of life and your peace of mind. In the time that it's been there, has any of the doctors you've seen bothered to biopsy it, or taken a scan of your mouth? Monellie is right--an ENT would be the better choice (as opposed to a periodontist or oral surgeon). I must be a real weakling compared to you--I'd only had that little bit of evil on my tongue for about 4 months when I decided it HAD to go. Please do not break this appointment.

Like Monellie, I'm not sure what you're afraid of. The worst part for me was before my surgery; fear of the unknown is pretty common. Afterward, I was in almost no pain (apart from the sutures scraping the roof of my mouth), and it was a relief to have the thing gone. If it's the financial aspect, there are doctor's offices that take payments, and I'm sure that programs still exist to provide financial assistance.

Let us know how it turns out.

Originally posted by monellie:
Hi Mountainlaura,
I'm not sure why you're terrified. If my lump hurt, I'd have it removed. For me it's strictly a question of expense. Are you afraid of finding out it's something serious, like cancer? My ENT said that if I'd had the lump for 3 years and I wasn't dead yet, it wasn't cancer. You've had yours for 12 years! The oral surgeon is trained to DO SURGERY (mostly on gums), so that's what he wants to do. I've been told (by a couple doctor friends) that if I decide to have it removed I should let the ENT do it. ENT's have more experience with the tongue. If you're afraid of the pain involved with recovery from the surgery, that's another thing which wouldn't bother me too much. The mouth heals quickly and the relief of having the lump out, and dealing with the results, would outweigh the pain. Best of luck to you.
Thank you Monellie and Julia for responding to my post. I agree that having had this lump for 12+ yrs, it probably isn't cancer but then I started thinking that since it doesn't belong there, maybe it could turn into cancer. That's why I've made a new appt. My dentist who recommended the appointment checked my mouth for cancer and said I was good. He doesn't know what the lump is, ergo the appt to a specialist. This particular oral surgeon practices Oral & Maxillocial surgery, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery and comes highly recommended. The fear is that maybe it turned into cancer and the other fear is that it's a very bloody surgery and you taste blood for weeks and I'm afraid that my tongue will swell and I won't be able to breathe or I will choke to death. I'm terrified abt that so I'd rather keep the lump if I can be assured it's benign. I was told or read somewhere that a biopsy would mean removal.
Hi, Mountainlaura

In my case, because it all happened so quickly, I pretty much figured that I had tongue cancer before I ever saw a doctor. The worst part of the biopsy was getting my tongue numb enough to snip a bit of tissue. As I recall, it wasn't particularly bloody (just uncomfortable). I didn't taste blood--or anything else--after my surgery. I had a trach for the reason you mentioned (swelling making it difficult to breathe). If it does end up benign, you'd really have to discuss removal vs leaving the lump in place.

I'm hoping for the best for you.

Last edited by julia
First of all I want to say THANK YOU for this website, and am very happy to have found it and others with possibly similar issues.

I've done a lot of searching on line because my primary doc sent me to an ENT and they diagnosed me with Burning Mouth Syndrome, and there is no cure for it so I've never been given meds. So me being me won't just accept this, and keep looking for solutions.

I'm going to an acupuncturist, but no help yet other than me taking cat's claw tincture. The Tincture hasn't resolved the burning, however It helped bring attention to the small pea sized bump with slight swelling IN the fleshy part of my tongue (not on the surface) towards the center of my left side of my tongue about 1/2" to 1" back from the tip of the tongue.

So I'm guessing that this thing has created nerve damage and that is why my tongue burns, and worsen as the day progresses.

I'm so worried that this is a virus or something worse that I can't get rid off. Any suggestions on possibilities / diseases I should talk to my doctor about? I've used many different mouth washes to try to kill off something like Miracle Mineral Solution, I'm at wits end and becoming depressed and overwhelmed by this. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
Last edited by actionfigure
I'm glad most people's symptoms don't sound cancerous, but has anyone seen these symptoms in children? My six year old daughter has a lump the size of a pea on the right side of her tongue near the tip. She complains that it hurts and she doesn't even like to swallow because of it. We saw her doctor today and they put her on antibiotics to see if it was an infection that would clear up. They want to see her again in ten days and schedule an ultrasound if it doesn't go away. I'm worried what will be next if antibiotics don't fix it. She has no pain tolerance and I hate to see my little girl scared or in pain. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Amanda

You're already on the right track by taking her to the pediatrician. Make sure that she finishes her antibiotic. Could she have bitten it in her sleep, or perhaps while eating? It might even be an inflamed taste bud (they can hurt like the dickens!). If it is an inflamed taste bud, it will most likely clear up in about a week.

If it helps with the pain, you might want to give her something like FlavorIce pops, or Chloraseptic spray (doesn't taste very good, but the pain will probably stay away longer).

Please let us know how it turns out.

Last edited by julia
Hi All,
I am so glad i found this forum. Like every one else i have a pea sized lump on the right side abt 1cm from the tip of my tongue. Its a generally non painful unless i press it hard btw my finger tips. i visited lot of dentist they only prescribed medicines and wid medicines the size of the lump use to decrease in circumference and sometimes increase. I then went to another ENT doctor he said i must b in the habit of rubbing my tongue on my teeth and due to irritation the lump has come.never the less he asked me to remove it through a minor surgery like procedure of which i was very afraid of so i went to a general surgeon and he removed it with an ointment. He applied this ointment and in next three days the lump's surface part came off[automatically fell off] however i still feel a lump inside the tongue. Any thoughts anyone!
Good Morning Nasreen,
The standard advice is"if a change occurs in the mouth and does not clear in three weeks see your doctor"
If you can still feel the lump, it would make sense to see your doctor again.
A biopsy is quite a small procedure, it takes about fifteen minutes and will cause some discomfort for a few days but it is the only way to be sure just what the lump is and what treatment (if any) is required.
Please let us know how you get on.
Keep Smiling
hello... im 18 years old, and just recently i discovered this lump at the back of my tongue.. it doesnt hurt.. just like others' condition. i have read that it isnt cancerous so im kind of relieved. i havent visited a doctor or a dentist yet, and its almost about two weeks now, i think it was because it was irritated because i was brushing my teeth really hard though... im just afraid, what if the doctor says i need to have a surgery to remove or so.. >.> i dont want that to happen.. is there another way.. like just applying ointments or medicine?

for those who have their lump removed, how was it?
Good Morning jen-chan,
If you look at the previous posting to Nasreen you will see the"three week advice" this applies to all of us. It is the only sure way of determining what the problem is.
You ask about ointments and medicine, there is no harm in trying these things providing you stick to the three week rule, and the three weeks starts from when the lump appeared not from the date you start a particular ointment.
If you have to have the lump removed it is on a par with having a wisdom tooth removed. I am not going to pretend that it is all jolly good fun because there is some discomfort, but the longer you leave these things the more drastic the treatment becomes. I have some personal experience of mouth problems and please believe me when I notice anything suspicious I get it checked out , it is the easy option.
It is quite likely that the lump is something which can be dealt with without too much trouble, and I hope this is the case. so off you go to the doctor and I will keep my fingers crossed for you. Please let us know how you get on.
Keep Smiling
thank you sir! then, i'll wait what happens till july ends, i'll tell my mother about it if it doesnt disappear...

again, thanks for the advice Big Grin
Happy i found this. I have had a pea size lump under my tongue about 1/2 from tip like most and it has a little white dot in the middle of it. its been there for 5 years and i will go weeks without noticing it and something its all i focus on.It must come and go cuz like I said I wont even think about it. anyway what i am getting at is was all your under your tongue itself like me and not the floor of the mouth and if so did it also have a tiny white dot in it as well. Thank you also I know it's been over a year since anyone posted
Hi Dr Vinod,

My Mom had a small raised lump on her tongue right side .75 inch from the tip. This came up like 4 months back and was initially red in colour and turned to yellowish after medications.

later this week the lump was removed by an ENT Doctor in India for biopsy, he removed some surrounding skin also. And we are waiting on the biopsy report

Now the problem is that after the biopsy surgery my mom has developer a small pea sized lump / guilty inside the tip of the tongue ( dont pain at all ) along with this small hematoma on right side under the tongue.

I am highly worried, can you please guide me on this.
Hello Sahil

Sorry for not getting back earlier. It is good that the lump was biopsied. Your ENT surgeon would have been the best person to answer your question about the small pea sized lump that appeared after the biopsy. Hopefully, your Mom's biopsy result has shown no cancer present.

Best wishes, Vinod
Hello everyone. I too, have the lump inside of my tongue. It's slightly to the left and a maybe half an inch or so from the tip. It's very small. Slightly smaller than a pea. It does change sizes but the difference is negligible. My dentist has told me it could be saliva build up and that it's nothing to worry about however, when I looked this problem up most of the articles I read seemed to suggest that these lumps occur UNDER the tongue not inside.

I can't see it. It can only be felt when I run my tongue between my teeth or pinch where the lump is with my fingers.

I would like to note that I first noticed this lump when I was about 18. I'm turning 26 in a few days.

Is there a chance that this lump could be a sort of 'pre cancer'? Sort of like how some people grow lumps or polyps that can take decades to turn cancerous ( as in the case with some colon cancers )?
hello every one .. I'm 19 years old .i never smoked . and i don't do alcohol only in parties or some weekend ..i felt some thing on my tongue about last four weeks and i didn't notice that it was big inside doesn't hurt and it can't be seen on the surface you can only fell it when you press a finger there.. i eat good ..i mean i have no other problem at all no pain any where just that stone like stuff inside my tongue right there in the middle of my tongue and it's really painless ..this night i asked a freind if he knows what it is and he said that it could be cancer that i had to go see my doctor but it's weekend days and i can't get to i started googling about lump inside the tongue and all i see is tongue or oral cancer ...please tell me.. do i really have cancer ?? please help me.
Hello Iwacu

It is probably not a cancer but you should see your dentist or doctor for a proper examination and diagnosis. Please let us know what they say.

Best wishes
Hey, well... i'm 16 years old, i have never smoke or drink, i'm healthy, and as all of you i have a lump inside my tongue (Since April), it's painless, kinda invisible because you can't actually see it, but ypu can feel it, and as most of you, mine change its size throught the day, and i actually noticed that with advil it shrunks a little bit.
I had to take antibiotics due an throat infection, and i noticed that the lump actually shrunk, but i ended the treatment and the lump it's its normal size again.
Well, luckily i have to see a dentist once a month, so i told her about this lump, first, she told me that it was an enlarged papillae, that it will go away in two weeks, it didn't go away, so last time i saw her she told me that if the lump wasn't gone in a month she was gonna send me to a oral surgeon to do a biopsy.
I'm happy that no one of your cases turned out to be cancer, that keeps me calm... but, i'm so scared because i have other symptoms like a lump in my neck (which shrunk a little after the antibiotics but didn't go away completely, my teory is that is a lymph node because of the infection, hope it's true).

I'm so scared of the biopsy, the time of wait, the result, everything, i'm scared that my anxiety did this (Because i read that stress was related with cancer, and i'm the most anxious person) i'm just 16, this is just a lot for me, i found some support in this page, so, yeah... just wanted to share my case. Any comment will be welcomed.

Good vibes everybody!
Hello Helena

It is normal to get anxious about a biopsy. There is usually minimal discomfort; it is done under a local anaesthetic - like going to the dentist. The lump is unlikely to be a cancer, probably a lingual tonsil or enlarged papilla (circumvallate?). So let's just wait and see. The lump in the neck was, as you say, probably a lymph node because of your throat infection.

Do let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
I've made it all the way back here again. I've had no help from doctors over the years. I seemed to have traced my issue probably back to what I originally thought it was. I have the pea sized lump like everything near or on my lingual vein (was told never to worry about it). I have scalloped tongue, bad breath, teeth issues, can't breathe through my nose, very mucus drenched tonsils, white coated tongue. I have a feeling it's either a blocked duct or I possibly bit down on my tongue and damaged it( who knows if that can be fixed) It all started after my wisdom tooth surgery many many years ago. I've been dealing with these issues for at least 9 years now, and have decided to give up on them and have now decided I can't deal with this anymore. If anyone experienced this stuff message me please.

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