Oral Sores
Oral sores/ulcers are raw “wounds” that usually form on the interior of the mouth in front of your lower gums or sometimes along the interior cheek area, though they can pop up almost anywhere. I’ll sometimes get one on the bottom of my tongue which feels quite a bit different than one on the interior of my mouth. My tongue is sore, but I don’t get the sharp intense pain usually associated with a sore on the interior oral surfaces. Usually they’re triggered by slight trauma to the area spurring on the growth. They’ll usually start small and get bigger, then eventually recede and disappear within about 1 – 2 weeks. Unfortunately until that happens they are very painful and sensitive.
I myself have suffered with oral ulcerations since I was very young. I remember getting them when I was 6 or 7. My mom had a tendency to get them when she was younger, but kind of grew out of it and no longer gets them actively, although she does have some considerable auto-immune disease issues. My brother has rarely ever had one. The source of these sores is unknown. It does not appear to be a Herpes based virus causing it, but probably more along the lines of an autoimmune issue. Though the link between the two isn’t conclusive and autoimmune disorders seem to be a blanket statement for a lot of unexplainable maladies in the health field.
Another big factor is stress and lack of sleep. Recently I’ve had some stressful situations in my life and also have not been getting much sleep. This probably played a part in why my recent sores developed.
The link with IBS comes up because when I have an oral sore flare up, I usually notice that my digestive health suffers as well. My symptoms are more amplified. I am easily fatigued and more irritable as well.
As far as treatment for oral sores go, I’ve found the best treatment is keeping up oral hygiene. My guess is that bacteria in the mouth will attack the open sore and cause more pain. So it is worth it to try to bush and swish with mouthwash as usual, if not more so.
There is also a link between the amino acid Lysine being helpful. Lysine has been somewhat helpful to me before, but unfortunately it also seems to cause digestive distress as well, causing constipation. You may have a different experience and it’s certainly worth a try if you feel a sore coming on and even afterward.
I have tried some of the over the counter remedy gels which are god awful expensive. They really did not make any difference in healing time. There are also numbing agents like Ambesol, which vary in their effectiveness and can really hurt while applying them. They also can make your mouth feel weird or cause funny tastes due to the numbing agent & how they have it flavored.
One tactic that actually has worked in the past was to gently brush around and even on top of the sore when it was small. Yes painful sounding, but when they’re starting out they’re not that bad. This would then be followed up by swishing with an anti-septic mouth wash & taking a lysine supplement. I actually prevented a few small sores from getting very big and they disappeared within a few days rather than taking two weeks. This did not help much with this most recent flare up as the sores set in pretty quickly and largely.
Psoriasis ( Updated Jun, 2011)
Research suggests that Psoriasis an autoimmune related disease. Depending on the type of Psoriasis, symptoms may vary from small mildly flaky & itchy skin to large areas of severe itching, flaking, burning or blistering of the skin coupled with fever, aches & fatigue. Treatment for Psoriasis can range from topical steroidal creams to immunosupressive drugs. Psorasisis can also cause anxiety, depression & self esteem problems. There is no cure for Psoriasis, it is a chronic condition that can be very debilitating. Psoriasis is not contagious.
I initially noticed mild Psoriasis issues on the lower portion of my scalp on the back of my head when I was a teenager. This was around the same time I started experiencing Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms. When going to get my hair cut I’d usually get a comment that I had dandruff issues & need special shampoos that never worked. Years later I finally had a doctor look at it & he prescribed a steroidal foam called Luxiq(foamy Betamethasone) which is easier to use on the the scalp where hair can get in the way. I had good results with Luxiq, but it is very expensive if you do not have insurance, up to $300 USD.
I also developed a 2″ patch of flaking, itching & sometimes raw skin on my back. After trying to treat it for many months using over the counter steriods, with diminishing success, I finally got a hold of some Bethamethasone in cream form which obviously worked much better. Eventually the patch on my back disappeared & has not recurred. I still deal with scalp Psoriasis.
Autoimmune connection
Ultimately there seems to be at least a loose link between IBS, oral sores & psoriasis to autoimmune disorders. There haven’t really been a whole lot of studies linking the three up. I’ve read some other sites on the web about the connection, but a lot of them see to be just be basic outlines on what constitutes IBS or an oral sore. So we’re kind of in the dark. Even if we do find that they are linked there are really only management options available, no cures at this time. Hopefully as medical science progresses there may be more options for treatment. If these are caused by a hereditary link, perhaps gene therapies can be introduced in the future to actually cure or prevent IBS or a whole host of other problems that can occur
That is definitely true, you can use things like Betamethasone in cream or ointment form to help relieve the itching and flakiness associted with Psoriasis. If you’re dealing with scalp psoriasis you can try Luxiq, which is a foaming version of Betamethasone. Unfortunately it’s really expensive, even with insurance. Ointment based Betamethasone can be had relatively cheap in generic form. Bethamethasone requires a prescription though. A lot of the over the counter corticosteroids, such as Cortizone are very diluted and may not be of much help to someone suffering recurrent Psoriasis. Also I had no luck with coal tars or salicylic acid.
That is true, there is no cure for Psoriasis, it is a long-term problem. In serious cases there are internal drugs you can take that may help, but it appears they effectively reduce your immune system as Psoriasis seems to be an autoimmune related disorder where your body attacks itself. Psoriasis isn’t contagious from one person to another and I’ve heard it doesn’t spread beyond it’s localized patches, however I have noticed the small patch on my back has gone from being the size of a nickel to the size of a silver dollar over the last few years. This may be due to the fact that I didn’t have treatment for it and scratching at it may have damaged more skin cells and caused the cycle to spread.
I have palma-plantar psoriasis and lately have been struggling with canker or oral sores as of late. It does seem plausible that there is an autoimmune connection as flare-ups of both of my conditions seem to happen around the same time. I have stopped the topical steroid treatment for 4 months and within that time the mouth oral sores have increased in frequency. Also, of corse, the psoriasis has ebbed and come on again. The payoff with stopping the steroids is that I feel now that I can control effects of the flare-ups and now don’t have to wear gloves to bed. I do use vaseline everyday to protect my skin.
As for the canker sores I have had luck with Kanka liquid, Gly-cosol, and Canker Cover. Kanka liquid works like Ambesol, but also adds a layer of film on the sore for quick relief. It’s $5-$6 a bottle and does a good job in an emergnecy. Gly-cosol is a peroxide based mouthwash that is thick and viscous. It does a great job of washing the sore out and alleviating pain (after it burns during the 1 minute rinse of the sore). It’s expensive ($9-$11), but it does the job and it lasts for a fair ammount. Canker-Cover is a box of 6 pills that can be divided up (cut with a knife) that I use for prevention and treatment that is most affective. It covers the sore for 3-12 hours depending on where the sore is in the mouth, and seems to work the best. Canker-Cover is $10 for 6 pills! Muy Expensive! But it does cover the sore and totally relieves the pain. It works for less time in areas that move a lot like the tounge and seems to stay on all day in the folds of the cheek and gum.
The only issue I’ve had with these oral treatments is that they seem to cause flare-ups around the same spot that I’ve treated. Especially the Kanka liquid. I use it sparingly if I can’t adhere a Canker-Cover to a specific spot.
I hope this helps someone a bit.
Thanks for the info. I’ll have to look for Kanka & Gly-cosol. I did try the canker covers(not sure what brand), but they had a funny taste and I think my stomach felt a little funny the next day if I used them overnight, though my stomach feels funny with practically anything. Also it seemed a bit bulky so my lower lip protruded out a bit and I could tell it was there. I did try cutting it in half, but then only part of the sore seemed to be covered. This last January I seemed to have a major flare-up of canker sores in my mouth, one after another. Seems to have dissipated now into February. I was stressing out last month, it’s funny when people say “you need to lower your stress”, well that will happen once the things causing me stress are resolved, until then stress is the name of the game! Luckily those stressors have been alleviated for now at least, so the canker sores seem to be at bay.
My psoriasis is mainly on the back of my scalp behind my ear. I have Betamethasone cream I put on there occasionally. I did have a patch about the size of a silver dollar on my upper back, but that seemingly disappeared, though the scalp scaling/flakiness still remains.
Psoriasis is NOT a Skin disorder… It IS an autoimmune disease. The skin condition that comes along with it is one of many possible symptoms that come with the disease.
the symptoms are sometimes treatable, the disease has no known cure though.
It is a misunderstood disease which is why I am saying anything… I actually wrote a Blog about it my self.
Here is a link to the Blog.
http://mommymarty22.xanga.com/750068196/psoriasis-the-played-down-disease/
I do find it interesting though that I to was diagnosed with IBS and Psoriasis. I have had Psoriasis since I was a little girl. (2yo) I was Diagnosed with IBS at age 2o, and have had canker sores (mouth ulcers) since I was a little girl as well.
@Alex, thank you for bringing attention to this post. I have revised & updated the post to be more accurate to those who deal with moderate – severe Psoraisis. I admit I have very mild Psoriasis so I am not as involved with researching things about Psoriasis as I am about digestive issues. I definitely had no intention to belittle Psoriasis as a condition as that is something that annoys me when people don’t understand the severity of things like Irritable Bowel Syndrome or other chronic conditions.
I know this post is old, but found it looking for answers myself.
I have moderate to severe psoriasis. I currently am treated with injection methotrextate and have in the past used the cortisones, tars, cyclosporin, etc. Pretty much anything I could afford. I have never had a 100% remission in my whole 45 years of age.
I too have also suffered from psoriasis, IBS, and canker sores since about the age of two and believe that they must be related or symptoms of the same immune issue. In addition, I have also suffered from chronic pain, which subsequently was diagnosed as the dreaded fibromyalgia. It has however been pretty much gone since being diagnosed and then treated for hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism can also be caused by autoimmune issues and I had probably suffered from it for years before diagnosis.
I find symptoms to be much worse when I have another illness such as a cold, flu or sinus infection or am over tired. Lately it seems that I am almost never without a canker sore, cold or flu. It is really painful and frustrating.
It is difficult to know when I am actually sick or just having symptoms from the psoriasis. It is heartbreaking and maddening that the family doctors I’ve been to see really don’t seem to care or don’t believe or understand how adversely this all affects the quality of our lives. I feel that I am labeled as a “chronic” by my current doctor and that she just tolerates my visits and that I do not really get the care that I deserve.
Lastly, I tend to be negative about many things, but don’t believe its depression, and really wonder why. Do you think it is another symptom of our autoimmune issues? Or is it just an accumulation of our frustrations and suffering from dealing with our disease(s)? Is anyone else like this?
I’d sure like some scientist to solve this mystery in my lifetime!