Stoke Hospital patient mistook ulcer for cancer after biting tongue
A man says biting down on his tongue saved his life after he mistook his cancer for an ulcer.
Dan Durant, 26, first noticed he had an ulcer on the right side of his tongue in summer last year but didn't think anything of it.
But when Dan accidentally sneezed and bit his tongue the lump became inflamed and he went to the doctor.
He was shocked when he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma - a type of cancer - and told it was aggressive and he needed to have surgery to remove the tumour.
In the 11-hour operation, doctors removed 50 per cent of Dan's tongue to cut out the two tumours they found and reconstructed it using skin from his left forearm.
They also dissected his neck to remove a cancerous lymph nodes.
Dan is currently waiting for the results from the biopsy which will confirm if he needs to have any following treatment.
Dan, who was working as a supervisor at a bar, from Stafford, Staffordshire, said: "I sneezed really hard and ended up biting my tongue.
"It went really inflamed.
"I was directed to Stoke Hospital and told it was cancer and it was aggressive.
"I had around 50 per cent of my tongue removed and reconstructed.
"The nurse said 'you were lucky you bit your tongue'."
Dan often got ulcers so didn't think anything of the lump on his tongue when he first spotted it in August 2023.
He treated it with Bonjela and stopped noticing it. He also lost a lot of weight and often had a sore throat but didn't realise it was anything to be worried about.
Dan said: "It was a grey, whitish patch. It was the size of a one pence coin.
"I didn't think of it after that.
"Mostly it just felt like it wasn't there."
But Dan started to notice the ulcer again in April 2024 and it became inflamed in August when he accidentally bit down on it.
He went to see his doctor who was suspicious it was cancerous and redirected him to Royal Stoke University Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent.
Dan's cancer diagnosis was confirmed a week later on August 21, 2024.
He said: "I didn't quite believe it could be cancer.
"Being told it was upsetting. I did have a cry.
"It was so surreal."
Dan was told the cancer was aggressive and they needed to get him into surgery soon to remove the tumour.
On September 12, 2024 Dan had the 11-and-a-half hour operation.
Doctors had planned to do a partial removal of his tongue but had to remove 50 per cent when they found a second tumour.
At the same time the took a cancerous lymph node from his neck to do a biopsy - to confirm the cancer had not spread.
He said: "They took skin from my forearm for my tongue and then the skin from my stomach to replace skin on my arm.
"They also used my the arteries from my forearm and put them into my tongue so there was a blood flow."
Dan then spent eight days in hospital - to ensure there were no problems following the reconstruction and so he could get used to eating and drinking again.
He is now on a soft food diet and is waiting for his results from the biopsy on his lymph node.
Dan said: "Learning to swallow properly was quite difficult.
"I'm just getting used to chewing.
"My jaw aches a lot. It's a lot of relearning things.
"If there is little to no cancer cells left I will just be one round of radiotherapy."
Dan was about to start a new job when he got his diagnosis and is now unable to work.
As well as raising awareness, Dan has set up a fundraiser to help fund his living costs for the next few months and will donate any remaining money to cancer research - you can donate HERE.
He said his family and friends have been a "wonderful supportive network".
Dan said: "Everything is normal and then all of a sudden it is not.
"It's a life-changing thing."
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