I’m prone to canker sores, and a couple of days ago I got one on my uvula! That was a first.
Just starting today, I’m feeling a localized pain when I swallow, about 4" below my collarbone. It hurts more when I swallow something scratchy, like rough toast or tortilla chips. It doesn’t hurt at all unless something is actively passing by the spot.
It occurred to me that the two events are related. Can one get canker sores down in the espophagus?
According to Wiki, the answer is yes.
“If there are lesions on the tongue, speaking and chewing can be uncomfortable, and ulcers on the soft palate, oropharynx, or esophagus can cause odynophagia (painful swallowing).[2] Signs are limited to the lesions themselves.”
This is one of those things I am amazed we don’t have good treatments for in this day and age. My husband gets horrible, huge ones sometimes and has tried all sorts of treatments and preventative measures. Nothing does much good.
In my case, I accidentally discovered that Claritin eliminated 95% of my canker sores. When I was younger, I usually had three or four large painful ones in my mouth at all times. I started taking Claritin for an unrelated problem, and discovered the effect it had on them, and have now been taking it daily for years. So in my case it’s probably an allergy to something or other.
Obviously the “something or other” got through the Claritin this week.
:eek::eek::eek: that sounds positively hellish
I get canker sores rather infrequently nowadays, but when I get them they tend to be large and last for a while. Somewhere (may very well have been here) I read about making a paste of crushed aspirin with a little water and using that as a kind of poultice over the sore. I don’t know if it makes them go away quicker but it sure does ease the pain.
I’ve been using Hydrogen Peroxide–dip a Q-tip in the bottle, get it good and soggy and let some drip onto the ulcer (if you can get to it; if not, swish it around in your mouth. DO NOT SWALLOW! Spit). Let it sit on the ulcer as long as you can stand it (fizz, fizz, fizz), rinse out your mouth. As many times a day as you can tolerate. Tastes icky, but it makes them heal faster, as least for me. IN the esophagus–no.
Not wanting to cause panic, but 4 inches below your collarbone is pretty close to the opening to your stomach. Hope you’re not working on a stomach ulcer.
When I get ulcers nowadays, it’s because I’ve had too much sugar, chocolate or stress. Or it’s mechanical–I bit my mouth lining, rubbed the lip(s) too hard; shit! I sneezed too hard once and tore a sore in front of the teeth! Which ulcerated.
My mother (who I inherited these from) used to put Alum on them. Nuclear pain! You’ve been warned.