I have been battling oak pollen allergies since the beginning of April. We got a good rain for a day, and a small respite, but the levels are back up in the medium category today and I feel it.
Burning Mouth Syndrome is a foe I have been battling for ten years now (Mother’s Day will mark the 10th anniversary…Yay?) and I have noticed a pattern that arises when I am forced to take decongestants along with my antihistamine because nasal congestion is rocking my world. There is no doubt in my mind that the drying action of the decongestants, although needed and effective for the life-sustaining action of breathing, also irritates the burning neuralgia of BMS. In spite of adding quarts of water to my intake, the pain has been nearly unbearable some days. When added to a string of migraines, triggered by sinus pressure, it has been a tough time.
I found myself looking forward to that next dose of Klonopin/Clonazepam so I could doze, even if I didn’t really have time to do that. To sit in my chair, watching TV with my husband, and just drifting off to sleep where the pain was not present was a gift on those high burning days. But what do you do when you have things to do, people to see, and responsibilities that are not subject to rescheduling? What do you do when there is a once in a lifetime event going on, and you can’t afford to miss it?
You power through. Continue reading
I realized I haven’t posted since the holidays, and I could easily blame that on everything that has gone on…the wedding in November of our younger daughter went beautifully and just this month they surprised us with the house they are purchasing, our older daughter’s wedding approaches (so quickly!) in May and they have begun to build a house not too far away from us, and of course the day-to-day work of a being a busy philanthropist and volunteer!
Many of us go through what I think of as the “thrashing stage” when we first start experiencing the pain of Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS). It is a time of anger, sorrow, guilt, and confusion as we try to determine what is going on, why it happened, and what we can do about it. You may have thought, “If only I hadn’t done this, or if only that hadn’t happened…I would not be in pain.” It isn’t logical, but often, neither are we at this stage of our journey. 
Yesterday as I grabbed my morning coffee at the neighborhood shop, I spotted an acquaintance. I had seen her around the gym where she is always intense and focused but had only spoken with her once or twice over the years. I said hello and reminded her who I was (You know when you get that feeling that they know they know you but might not remember your name or the context?) and we stood together waiting for our orders.
Both of our daughters are getting married. The younger’s wedding is just a couple of months away, and the older daughter’s wedding is next spring. Once in a lifetime moments happen, and you want to treasure every one of them, but your chronic pain companion will also be a guest at that special event and maybe you are wondering what you can do. 
As I described in a previous post (
Another Mother’s Day is past and I enter my tenth year with Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS). It is my constant companion, the first thing I think of when I rise and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep. 
A Burning Journey 