Question about an oral wart?

[GeekMonster]

Hey, guys. So...I apparently have a WART in my mouth. I never even knew this was a thing.

I felt a little bump on the roof of my mouth, all the way in the back by my throat, a few months ago. I didn't think anything of it at first, figured it was just a pimple or something. But then it didn't go away. It's really difficult to see because of where it's located, but I finally got a flashlight to check it out, and it looked like a canker sore. No big deal, right? But a few more weeks went by, and it still wasn't going away.

I saw my dentist for a cleaning a few weeks ago and asked him to take a look. He said it's a wart, and that it will have to be removed by an oral surgeon.

That kinda freaked me out. Not because I'm afraid of having it removed, but because of where it's located in my mouth. It's in an incredibly uncomfortable spot, right in my gag reflex area. It feels like I constantly have a piece of food stuck back there, and it triggers my swallowing reflex all the time. It's caused me a lot of anxiety and stress ever since because it's just there ALL the time, 24 hours a day, no matter what I'm doing.

I have a consultation with the oral surgeon next week, but I'm really nervous. How on earth would they remove it without making me gag like crazy? There's no way I could handle anything touching my mouth in that area! And I don't want my whole throat numbed up either, that is a terrifying sensation for me that would make me have a panic attack.

If anyone here has any experience with something like this, or information you can share, I'd be grateful. Googling "oral warts" comes back with nothing but "have it surgically removed" which doesn't address any of my fears at all. Are there any suggested home remedies for helping these things heal on their own? I know warts are caused by viruses, so keeping your overall immune system boosted is a good idea, but is there anything I could try beyond that? I've been trying a gargle of salt water, honey, and a few drops of apple cider vinegar, but I haven't noticed any change in it.

If this thing were on my tongue or cheek or ANYWHERE else in my mouth, I wouldn't be worried. It's just the location that makes me worry! It's unbearable enough feeling this stupid thing all the time, I don't want to be scared about the procedure of having it removed, too.

 

[Gordon]

They could use a cryoprobe, basically freezes the wart with liquid CO2, they won't need to give you anaesthetic for that, or a laser, again no LA.
It might be best to hold off on the panic until you have a better idea what they're proposing to do. The gagging could be managed by some sedation.

 

[GeekMonster]

They could use a cryoprobe, basically freezes the wart with liquid CO2, they won't need to give you anaesthetic for that, or a laser, again no LA.
It might be best to hold off on the panic until you have a better idea what they're proposing to do. The gagging could be managed by some sedation.

Hello, and thank you for your reply! I've heard a little about the cryo surgery or laser surgery. If I wouldn't need any throat-numbing for those, that would be great! I'm not worried much about pain, I can handle a little discomfort pretty well. It's only the gag reflex that concerns me, as well as having my tongue or throat numbed; I had that done with my deep cleanings and nearly had a panic attack in the chair. When I went back for the second half of the deep cleaning, I asked them to numb me less, and thankfully the dentist was very understanding and did just that. It was slightly more painful, but I didn't mind!

Anyway, your reply gives me some hope, so thank you for that! My consultation is this coming Thursday, and I'm hoping to learn enough to put my mind at ease. If this darn wart were anywhere else in my mouth, I wouldn't be worried at all. But it's been bothering me for 2-3 months now and it triggers my swallowing reflex constantly, which makes me anxious, and well, I'm just ready for it to be GONE.

 

[Gordon]

If it's any consolation, they're very, very rare in the mouth, even more so in a position like that. So that makes you a very special person indeed

Let us know how it goes on Thursday.

 

[GeekMonster]

If it's any consolation, they're very, very rare in the mouth, even more so in a position like that. So that makes you a very special person indeed

Let us know how it goes on Thursday.

Oh gosh, I wish I felt special instead of anxious and scared, lol. Thanks, though!

 

[GeekMonster]

The oral surgeon said that because of the wart's location, I will have to be sedated and numbed. Cryosurgery and laser surgery aren't options, she wants to remove it entirely so it can be biopsied, even though the risk of it being cancerous is very small.

I asked her if I'll wake up with a numb throat, and she said yes. I explained to her that I've had issues almost having a panic attack the last time I had excessive numbing during my deep cleanings. She was very understanding, but it apparently isn't something that can be avoided for this procedure. Hopefully the sedative will keep me groggy enough to avoid any panicking as I wake up and go home. She said the numbness will only be on one side, though, and I think that will be a huge help for me. As long as I can feel SOMETHING of my tongue and throat, I should be able to breathe through any anxiety until it starts to wear off. She was really, really kind and compassionate, and I'm very glad she'll be the one to do the surgery for me.

I'm not feeling too nervous about it. I know it's something I just have to get through, and I won't die, and I'll be just fine after it's over. Surgery is the 27th. I will be SO glad to have this thing gone, it's been causing me so much worry and discomfort for the past 3 months.

 

[Gordon]

The wart is on the roof of your mouth? So there is no way your tongue will be numbed by the local. Depends on whereabouts it is but the numb area may well only extend a few mm's past the area of the wart itself. Soft tissue anaesthesia is different from what you have to do for the hard tissues like teeth.

 

[GeekMonster]

Yes, it's on the roof of my mouth (soft palate), all the way at the back. I feel it every time I swallow and it's infuriating lol. I'm very relieved that my tongue won't be numb, but having a numb throat is also scary. But I know that at most, it will only be on one side, not the whole thing. Thank you for your reassurance, too! It really helps to think that it will just be a small area that's numbed, not like, half of my entire throat. I've had some really terrifying experiences with having my throat/tongue numbed, so it's always a scary thing for me.

 

[Gordon]

Chances are by the time you're recovered from the sedation, the local will have worn off.

 

[GeekMonster]

Chances are by the time you're recovered from the sedation, the local will have worn off.

That would be great! Thanks for the encouragement. I'm ready to get it over with, and I'll definitely post here with how it goes

 

[Gordon]

Thanks, it would be good to hear how you get on

 

[GeekMonster]

Well, I survived! Very glad it's finally over, this whole ordeal has dragged on for about 4 months and caused me endless anxiety.

The procedure itself went very smoothly. The surgical team was kind, quick, efficient, had me hooked up to all the tubes and monitors and IV in no time. The sedation was so fast! The surgeon placed the rubber holder to keep my mouth open and that's all I remember lol.

I was worried about waking up numb, but I don't think she numbed me AT ALL. I was in pain from the moment I woke up. The pain of swallowing was terrible and still is (been about 3 hours). They gave me some pain medicine, which I am taking. And I CAN feel the daggone suture, which was another worry. But there's nothing I can do about it, so I will try to ignore it and just keep telling myself it'll dissolve eventually. And hopefully once the pain and swelling go down, it won't be so unpleasant.

 

[Gordon]

Thanks for following up! She would have put some LA in, but see my previous comment about the LA wearing off before the IV.
Try getting hold of some Difflam rinse and gently gargle with it, that'll help with the discomfort.

 

[GeekMonster]

The whole procedure only took about 20 minutes, I wouldn't think the LA would wear off so fast? I didn't feel numb at all when I woke up and even on the ride home, it was incredibly painful to swallow.

I've never heard of Difflam. Googling it, it looks like a UK product, and I'm in the US. I see some Difflam sprays on Amazon, but by the time I order it and it arrives, I'll probably be feeling better I appreciate the suggestion, though!

The pain is slightly more tolerable today. Honestly, the sensation of the damn sutures is more bothersome to me, I feel like I'm going to swallow them constantly. I called the office to see when they'll dissolve, and they said 3-5 days. Tomorrow will be day 3 so I'll just put up with it and try to keep my mind distracted!

 

[Gordon]

Sorry, didn't know where you were
Benzydamine Hydrochloride spray or rinse is the stuff, if you can get that locally. I hated having stitches in my mouth, hateful things! Must be 10x worse where yours are than my wisdom teeth ones.

 

[GeekMonster]

I think that one of the stitches is either infected, or my body is trying to reject it. It's HORRIBLY painful, so much that my eyes tear up anytime I try to eat or drink anything. I'm already taking antibiotics, and I know they can't just reach in and yank the damn thing out, so I'm trying to endure it as best I can. This is one the most miserable, awful physical ailments I've ever gone through. It's not only pain, but this constant feeling that I'm about to gag. I just wish it were over already.

 

[GeekMonster]

So it's been over a week now since my surgery. The incision site is still VERY sore and tender and causing me a lot of pain. But the stitches are at least gone (or unnoticeable now) so the gagging feeling is gone. Because of the location (on the roof of my mouth, near my throat), the pain radiates up into my skull and has been giving me behind-the-eye headaches, which isn't fun at all.

I know it's still healing, and one day the pain will stop and hopefully I'll just feel a normal mouth and throat again. But this has been an absolute nightmare. Part of me wishes the oral surgeon would have warned me about how terrible the recovery would be, and how long it would take. But I'm also glad I didn't know ahead of time, because I was already terrified enough. It's hard to describe how difficult it is to endure this much pain and still function (going to work, taking care of my home and family) without just falling apart and having a breakdown.

I'm not saying any of this to frighten people. This is just my personal experience. I doubt anyone else will have the exact same sort of procedure that I had. But between the awful deep cleanings and fillings and now THIS surgery... I really hope I don't need anything done to my mouth beyond normal cleanings for years and years.