Painful white lump on my tongue

[CharityLynn]

OK yesturday my tongue really started hurting on the right side , way back almost under my tongue. I felt it and could feel a pea size bump. I didn't look in the mirror figured it would go away. My throat kind of hurt and does my ear on that side of my head.

Well its still there and it still hurts, so I went to the mirror and looked which took a lot of manuvering to get a decent look. And it is a white spot, not very big (I'll add some pictures if anyone needs a visual )

My question is this, is this something you'd go see a doctor about? Or should I give it a couple more days and see if it doesn't go away on its own? We really don't have the money to see a doctor right now, I thought maybe someone on here had experienced the same thing.

I looked into soome stuff online and for cancer, normally its not very painful and the majority of people with it are heavy smokers/drinkers..I'm neither and they also say it rarely occurs under 40..I'm only 28. So I'm pretty sure I'm safe from anything like that.

 

[Angelhalo]

I'd give it a couple days. I've had similar bumps. When we were kids my mom used to call them "lie" bumps so they showed when we had been lying. Ahhhhh gotta love southern moms! LOL!

 

[laurie31]

We called them "Lie bumps" too. I usually get them if I've eaten a lot of either something sweet or something sour.

If they bother me too badly...I just rip 'em out!

(and sorry if that was TMI - lol)

Usually, they will go away on their own in a couple of days.

 

[hydster]

Sounds to me like you have a tongue "canker" which looks similar to a zit on your face only it's on your tongue. If it is that I'd just rinse with mouthwash and put some ambesol or baby orajel on it and see if that helps with the pain.

If it is a tongue canker it should go away within a week or so. If it's still there and getting worse you may want to contact your dentist or doctor but from what you describe it sounds like a tongue canker

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Alright, fess up...you made out with that stripper the other night, didn't you?!?!

 

[ChrizJen]

OUCH!
I get swollen taste buds from time to time. But I get them all over my tongue (it feels like I've burned it on pizza). It usually lasts for about a week and then goes away on its own. I've never seen a doctor about it, but once it lasted almost a month! It was miserable!

I would do like the others have said, and give it a few more days to go away on its own. The topical anesthetics are OK, but they tend to wear off rather quickly when you use them on your tongue. I haven't really found anything that helps any better though.

Good luck!

 

[Christine]

Sounds like a canker sore on the tongue. Oh man do they ever hurt and will make your whole throat and ear hurt if they are way in the back. Unfortunately, they can take a week to 10 days to resolve but are usually only "really" painful for 3-4 days. I just got over having one on my left tonsil and that was really bad.

 

[CharityLynn]

Well here are pictures..sounds to me like the tongue canker thing.

Laugh O Gram...don't go sharing secrets...

 

[cinmell]

Alright, fess up...you made out with that stripper the other night, didn't you?!?!

 

[luvindisneyworld]

Well here are pictures..sounds to me like the tongue canker thing.

Laugh O Gram...don't go sharing secrets...

Okay that dont look like a lie bump to me. Why oh why did I look at that now I am feeling your pain .

I think I would go to the Dr if it were me.

 

[Christine]

The first two shots are blurry but I think it looks like a canker. But the third shot "throws" me. A canker is usually circular and is raised around the edges(whitish) and has a bit of a depressed center. The third shot doesn't look depressed.

 

[phamton]

Yes, that's a tongue canker sore. I get them quite often. The canker sores on the inside of your cheek or lips are usually depressed but the ones I get on my tongue are usually raised like yours.

 

[CharityLynn]

yeah, its not depressed..its definately a lump

 

[maelstrom]

You can get cancer in your mouth even if you aren't a smoker. Keep an eye on it.

 

[Mickey1974]

You say your throat hurts too? It could be strep throat. My daughter had strep once that produced a canker sore on her tongue like that.

 

[PlainJane]

I vote that it's a canker sore.

I used to get them quite often. I finally decided to examine what I ate before they happened, and I realized me and spicy food don't get along, I stopped eating that stuff and haven't gotten one since.

If your bump doesn't go away within the next two weeks or becomes increasingly worse, go see a doctor.

 

[CharityLynn]

Ok thanks everyone. I'm just going to keep an eye on it for another 5 or so days..hopefully it will be gone before then

 

[RobDoc]

From the photos, it appears it may be an Apthous Ulcer (canker sore). They typically last 7-10 days and provide the most discomfort for the first 5-6 days before improving. You might want to rinse with warm salt water so relieve some of the pain.

If it's not improving in the next few days I'd definitely get it checked though.

Sometimes, topical steroids applied at first appearance can help minimize the problem, but it's probably too late for that treatment now. You should be cautious about traumatizing that area as others may appear adjacent to the current site adding to the discomfort and timeframe.

Good luck!

 

[themarquis]

I'll tell you, I could write a book about canker sores. At one point, I had them so bad that in combination w/ a couple of other things, they were trying to see if I had crohn's disease (I guess it messes up everywhere in your "tract" from your mouth to your you-know-what )

Anyway, I really don't know what I am looking at based on your picture. Generally, canker sores do not make a "lump" of any sort, and they generally do not get so big (when you said "pea sized" in your original post, I thought "no way"). I have had a couple that were HUGE, though -- within that size range (though not "lumpy"), complete with the swollen glands you mentioned. These are technically called "major apthous ulcers" and should be monitored closely because they can have trouble healing and can cause scarring.

I did once have a mystery sore on my tongue that was similar to what you are describing. It was about pea sized, throbbed, and felt like a palpable "lump". Ouch! I actually tried to "lance" it (stick something in it) b/c I was convinced there was pus in it . I'm pretty sure that that was some kind of infected area in the tongue (I guess this can happen occasionally due to the same kind of bacteria that can give you a skin infection). Very little can actually make that sort of thing go away ... you just have to watch it and give it time.

A final option that comes to mind is a special kind of apthous ulcer that occurs in clusters. I think it is called "herpetiform apthous ulcer". If this is what you had, if you looked closely at it, you will notice that it is actually made up of many smaller sores clustered together.

Definitely keep an eye on things -- you will know that there is a bigger problem if the lump keeps growing, prevents you from eating, drinking, or sleeping, or causes a fever.

Good luck! Tongue sores are the worst!

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Swish warm/hot salted water in your mouth several times a day. May sting but gets rid of it very quickly, the doctor had me do that over the winter when I had a bad headcold/virus brewing.