It is still better to see a doctor. There could be issues beyond what can be seen and can only be addressed by proper medical treatment.
Good, glad you are getting somewhere!
I know viruses suck but I’m happy for you if it’s not TN. I remember when **biotop **posted about TN when he got it and it seemed like the worst thing ever (he seems to agree).
You’d have to be a much better scrabble player than I am to build that word. My favorite scrabble word is zelatrix.
It’s what they call the older nun at the convent that supervises the young nuns. Although if another player asked me to use the word in a sentence I would come back with something like “Zelatrix is a very unusual word”.
Now, how’s THAT for a hijack of my own thread?
Still feeling better but the gums are still sore. I’ll keep everyone updated.
I am going to discuss this with my own doctor —next week, probably- and see about getting a shingles vaccine. This was scary.
Last night a vague tenderness in my lower jaw suddenly jumped into the “electric shock” jabs of pain.
This morning I got an emergency appointment at a local dentist: abscess requiring a root canal.
Right now I only have a temporary filling to allow the abscess to “drain”…and am on amoxicillin.
If you go like :eek: whenever you chew on something cold or hot…DON’T put it off, go straight to a dentist.
Glad you seem to be on the mend, Ann Hedonia!
True fact that I thought everyone knew - the movie “Annie Hall” was originally called “Anhedonia.” The name change was not the only alteration made from the original script, apparently; it was changed a lot in order to become the movie we all know.
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Any updates, Ann? I hope it is getting better.
Update time, the saga continues
I finally went to my PCP about 3 weeks ago and we agreed on fever blisters ( a blister eventually developed on the sore gums ) and that I needed to wait for it to “run its course”. Which was what I suspected. And it did get almost better but the gums stayed a little sore and I’d get a blister every 10 days or so. Plus I was feeling generally run down.
But it didn’t clear up completely so I went back. My doctor didn’t say much, she just drew a bunch of blood and sent me to the ENT.
I was surprised by the ENT’s questions - I was expecting to be asked about my history regarding cold sores and herpes but he focused in on an autoimmune rash I had about 20 years ago. We talked about my family and autoimmune diseases ( most of my female cousins have one).
Since the gums weren’t blistering there wasn’t much for him to see - he told me that I should call and come in the next time they blistered and he would see me the same day. And I’ve gave me an email in case I could get a good photo.
I wasn’t really in agreement when I left his office. I was still thinking it was an oddball case of shingles ( I still remembered the severe initial pain.) and that everyone had missed it because I didn’t see the doctor when the symptoms were at their worst.
But a few hours later my PCP called about the blood test(specifically the ANA test) , which was heavily positive for autoimmune antibodies.
This all happened yesterday
So apparently I have some strange autoimmune disorder.
My PCP recommended a rheumatologist as the next step. She recommended a top specialist but they werent covered by my insurance, plus they have long waits. I found another one with both good reviews and availability and she will see me tomorrow. I’m actually a little skeptical of a doctor that has next day Saturday appointments open but if I don’t like her or if I need someone more specialized I can look further.
I really want to stay within my insurance network. I have good insurance ( the only downside is a somewhat limited provider network ). But I pay a lot for an insurance policy with a zero deductible and a 2K out of pocket max (the copayments can add up) and I’m not inclined to pay for an out of network doc unless I have no choice.
Thanks for the update and I’m sorry to hear of your challenges. I hope you are web searching like crazy to help discuss this with your care team. I recommend searches based on your actual symptoms, and not just on what the docs think is the diagnosis. There is a reason for the phrase ‘practicing medicine.’
Hopefully you can find a discussion group for what you’re dealing with. The other patients there can be of help, but of course do realize that there are a lot of opinions out there and you will have to filter through the gripes and rants and BS.
I am sending good energy and prayers your way, Ann. If we can help please let us know. Dopers can be very helpful, and many here are plenty smart. I’ve learned a lot here. Good luck to you.
I’m so glad you can be seen right away. Maybe your situation is important enough for her to see you tomorrow. A friend of mine–a woman in her early 70s-- was showing some slightly scary symptoms (night sweats, stiff neck, nausea) and she called my doctor’s office where it normally takes TWO MONTHS to get in and they made an appointment for four DAYS later.
Do keep your medical support team posted (I mean us, of course). 
Good luck!
Oh, I’ve been consulting almost non-stop with “Dr. Google” and I’ve concluded that I have something really uncommon. The conditions that tick most of the boxes seem to be WAY more severe than what I have which is disconcerting. And at this time I’m more concerned about the general fatigue than the gum thing.
But this group is a huge asset and it helps me to know that people are sending energy and prayers. If there is silver lining to this whole thing its that I’ve felt more open and connected to others - both on-line and in real-life. I’ve found support and friends in some unlikely places
That’s not the case here because I found the doctor and made the booking on-line through ZocDoc ( a medical booking web service) I didn’t even give details, I put in General Consultation. They are probably a little easier to book because they are in Central Queens, not Manhattan.
But it’s a place to start. I remember when I had the autoimmune rash. The dermatologist I saw back then had never seen a case, he had seen it described before and he left the examining room and looked it up in a book ( pre-internet days).
But he was able to recommend a doctor that had a lot of experience in that condition.
I may also need multiple opinions on this one. I’m very wary of most systemic medications and I would rather try diet, exercise and lifestyle changes first if those are feasible options.
But I will keep my SDMB medical team informed – Thanks!
Where on your body was the autoimmune rash you had 20 years ago?
I have absolutely zero to add in the way of advice or help, but good luck with this, Ann, and I hope you’re able to get it tamed very soon.
(I always thought your username was sad, so I’m glad you don’t resemble it!)
Lower back. And I was tested for the autoimmune antibodies at the time but the test was negative
Sorry for delays in posting. I know I owe my medical team an update but I wanted everything to settle down, I didn’t want to jinx my recovery.
So, the ultimate problem was a bacterial infection deep in the gum at the base of the tooth. It may have started as a viral infection, or maybe not. The oral surgeon who diagnosed it felt it was because my lower front teeth are crowded and push on each other and it formed a pocket that got infected.
But it set off an autoimmune response, which confused the issue. And the blistering was confusing, it was just infection working its way up between the layers of the skin.
So I had to have this really brutal oral surgery where they pulled the tooth above the infection, pulled back the gum to clean it up and grafted in new bone in the jaw. That was the oral surgeon.
It was really painful and kind of violent, even though I was completely numb. Then my dentist came in - my dentist is totally cool and competent and enjoys creative solutions. I winced at the cost of implants or Invisalign (because the teeth were crowded we considered just closing the gap) so he gave me a wink and said " I can just put the tooth back in". He shaped it, stuck it back in the socket and bonded it on the backside to the two teeth on either side, making sort of a bridge.The bone graft should take around it and help keep it in place as well.
All of this was uninsured and more than I wanted to spend - but very reasonably priced for what they did. The extraction, flap surgery ( the pulling back the gum and cleaning it ) and the bone graft was $1800 and my dentist charged $300 for the reconstruction.
Now apparently there is quite a relationship between gum infections and the immune system and mine is still a little out of whack. I still have some mild burning and throbbing on all the gums, (which is somewhat alleviated by keeping the teeth really clean) and some minor thickening of the skin around the lip line. And I’m sort of low energy.
But when it comes to autoimmune disorders, the cure can be worse than the disease so I’m just trying to avoid stress and cope.
But thanks to everyone that weighed in. Really. You guys helped a lot and it meant a lot to me.
Yaay! Good to hear they found it, fixed it, and you’re (mostly) on the mend. For less than the price of a car or house. 
<sound of the other shoe falling>
Wow. What a saga. Who’d a thunk it. Glad it’s all wrapped up and hope everything mends properly.
It’s never Lupus.
Congrats on beating the bugs.
I was going to post theres a medicine that t hey make for herpes that works great on cold sores called Valtrex I get the generic version …only downside I get is it makes you seriously thirsty and if you don’t take it with about 16 oz of water it will upset your stomach
I meant to put “It’s never lupus” into my update, but I forgot :smack: