'Doctors told me a white growth was harmless - now I've had half my tongue chopped off'
A mum was forced to have half her TONGUE chopped off - after doctors 'dismissed the white mark as her biting it' for YEARS.
Sharon Moreby spotted a white, cobweb-like patch on her tongue while brushing her teeth 20 years ago.
However, the 54-year-old says she was repeatedly told that the mark was dysplasia - a growth of abnormal but non-cancerous cells.
Over the following 18 years, the mum-of-four underwent eight biopsies and a laser treatment on the left side of her tongue, but doctors continued to insist the mark was not harmful.
One surgeon even allegedly told Sharon the patch was due to her 'biting her tongue' in her sleep, so she followed his guidance and wore dental braces for the next two years.
But the mum-of-four's symptoms continued to worsen, expanding to earache, jaw pain, issues swallowing, and a new, unexplained lump on her neck.
However, Sharon claims doctors dismissed her growing concerns, putting her condition down to the 'menopause'.
It wasn't until Sharon underwent yet another biopsy in August 2023 that her results confirmed she had an aggressive HPV-related tongue cancer.
Two months later, Sharon underwent a gruelling nine-and-a-half-hour surgery to remove the entire left side of her tongue as well as chemotherapy and radiotherapy after doctors discovered the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
Luckily, Sharon is now in remission but is urging others to always 'listen to their gut' when following concerns about their health.
Sharon, who lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: "I had noticed a little, white patch on the left side of my tongue that looked like a spider web when I was brushing my teeth. I didn't think much of it. I wasn't overly concerned.
"I was reading a magazine article talking all about the cancers and it mentioned white patches, so I rang my dentist to get it checked out
"From then on, over the years it just kept coming back. It kept growing towards the back of my tongue. It was probably the size of a penny.
"They kept doing biopsies. It was getting more severe. They kept saying it was dysplasia. I thought it can't be cancer, I've had that many biopsies.
"They made me wear braces for two years because they thought I was biting my tongue in my sleep. Obviously it didn't work because I wasn't doing that. That just aggravated it. I think I probably had cancer at that point and I was told I was just biting my tongue."
More than a decade since the white patch first appeared, Sharon's symptoms continued to worsen but the mum claims health professionals continued to ignore her concerns.
Sharon said: "When it came back this time, I was in a lot of pain. I got horrendous earache and jaw pain. I got a lump in my neck.
"They just said it was pain from all the biopsies and the lump was from a blocked salivary gland.
"I kept getting told there was nothing to worry about. Then I started having problems swallowing. I went to the GP and explained all the pain I was in and they said it was probably to do with menopause. I felt like no one was listening to me. It was like I was hitting a brick wall."
Unwilling to ignore her symptoms for any longer, Sharon visited her dental hygienist who referred her for another biopsy that confirmed she had tongue cancer. Two months later, Sharon underwent a neck dissection to remove the cancer from her mouth followed by a tongue reconstruction performed using tissue from her left arm.
Sharon is now in remission but feels she was 'let down' by the medical community after years of fighting for a diagnosis.
Sharon said: "I've no idea why all my biopsies came back clear. I think if I'd left it much longer, I don't think I'd be here. I feel like I was let down. I don't know if that white patch I found all those years ago was cancer.
"Now looking back, why didn't they look into it more? Why did it keep coming back? I would've died if I'd listened to the advice of doctors. I'd say to other people follow your gut and keep pushing with doctors."