Hi Everyone,
While I was driving to Maine about 8 weeks ago, I non-stop ate a candy called Hersey's Hugs. I'm not the best long distance driver in the world and always need something to keep me alert, this was my choice for this trip. I don't chew these candies, I suck on them until they melt. At the end of the trip I noticed that under my tongue and along the side of it were sore, the side where I had my jaw surgery and have no bottom teeth. Under my tongue I noticed what looked like a cut or a split and it was red. I can't really call it a sore. I went to the doctor about three weeks after this cut came about, he wasn't concerned with it. It's very small, is smaller in the morning. It's as if during the night when I am sleeping and my tongue is still it trys to heal, then I open it up again during the day. It's as if it's trying to granulate and heal from the inside out. Am I making any sense here, it's hard to describe it. Has anyone ever had anything like this??
Minnie

Minnie these day's it seems I've always got some sore spot or another going. Usually I manage to either burn my tongue on some sort of stir fried something or another or bite it some how and don't remember the exact time I did it.

I'm not familiar with Hershey's hugs, but the cut could possibly even be from something else even. The tongue is a muscle basically, and from what my ENT says can take a little longer to heal if there's a deep cut for the very reason you're describing. It's still at night, but during the day you move it around and stretch out the tissues and open up the wound again.

I'd keep an eye on it, as you know conventional wisdom is if it doesn't heal in 10 days to see the doc, but it sounds like you've already done that. So, I guess the next move is try not to move it around too much for a week. (How ever you do that I don't know)

Hope it gets better soon
Bob

Hi Minnie,
first off thanks for your info about the jaw and bone graft!
here are some of my opinions (not facts):

I've found - prior to cancer - that a lot of sugar, or salty things, would give me canker sores, or what I think of as pre-canker sores - an area that was sensitive, red and sore. (My mom says she can't drink diet sodas because the artificial sweetners give her canker sores.)

So, I think some things, in close or constant contact with the mouth tissue are irritating the area. Such as throughout a long car ride. Seems to make some sense. Add onto that with cancer and its various treatments the mouth area is, as Bob/jetage hobo says always prone to something!

I'd try rinsing with water more often to try to get food particles, etc away. Also one of my doctors likes to recommend plain old salt water as a general way to cleanse the mouth and keep off bacteria.

Maybe its thrush or fungus. I had/have the start of cold sores at the corners of my mouth and have used a nystatin creme. The creme might not work inside your mouth but during radiation I had a nystatin rinse to help more sores. And prior to cancer (but during pre-cancer leukoplakia stage) my ENT gave me carafate for canker sores that worked well. You might want to ask your doctor about those.

Others in my general cancer support group have commented about how prone their are to little things - skin abrasions, cuts, etc. that seem to cause more trouble than in the pre-cancer days. They share the feelings that these minor issues are of course nothing like the threat of cancer, but are the lingering little, frustrating aspects!
And of course the constant fear of worrying whether some little symptom is a lurking cancer!

Hope it clears up soon!

Hello Minnie,

I can't offer much more advice on your sore other than what Bob has stated. I can hope you treat it with tender loving care and it's just a memory by Vegas!!!

See Ya Soon, Danny Boy

I know from my radiation my gums and tongue that were hit are more sensative. Even when I chew meat it hurts and after 6 mos is not totally healed. So that tissue might be still sensative but as suggested keep and eye on it till its gone.

Minnie,

My tongue is still very sensitive to things that are too salty, too acidic, too abrasive, too hot...the list goes on. I also agree with the comment about needing to get food particles outof the way quickly, because they seem to cause irritations if I don't.

That being said -- it sounds as though several weeks have gone by since you saw the doctor about this, so if you're not seeing improvement, I'd suggest having him look again.

Cathy

I just finished radiation. I thought that staying away from as much sweet as possible was the idea, especially for dental care. Not a judgment call Minnie. I have been known to get my instructions convoluted at times

Minnie,

If I eat any candy and let it dissolve in my mouth, I have a sore that seems to last for days. I discussed it with the ENT and he said from now on to expect sores for no specific reasons to come and go. I usually rinse with salt water for a couple of days and they go away.

Ed

Thanks for the replies, as always, they help. I guess I need to put the chocolate away, darn it. I know the sugar is not good, but it felt WONDERFUL to eat something the same exact way I ate it before the radiation. The hugs taste, feel, etc., the exact same now. So, as is my personality, I went WAY overboard with it. Close to half a bag a day.......and I wonder why the scales keep creeping up............up to 134 now which is almost 10 pounds OVER my prediagnosis weight.
I can feel a soreness after I eat alot of these candies. Regardless, I will have it looked at again, I go to the doctors on Sept. 28th.
Love,
Minnie

Minnie, just to add one thing to remind you since you 'love' candies and chocolate. They will harm our teeth. I rely a lot on sugar free candies and gums during the day to make my speech clearer. They really help but at the same time damage my teeth. I have to go often to the dentist for tooth filling. I made a joke with the dental nurse that I am now working for the dentist. Dental charges aren't cheap here.

Karen