Just Do It – Burning Mouth Syndrome

Posted on November 8, 2018 by kalipr

The day I have feared for so long has arrived.

I recently lost a crown on a lower molar that had a root canal so many years ago I don’t even remember which dentist or endodontist did it. However, he did not do it well and now I am looking at having to undergo a second root canal on it before my present dentist will put a new crown on it. In order to take advantage of the dental insurance we have through my husband’s job, that root canal will have to happen this year.

I know many of you out there lack that luxury and I am sorry. Even with insurance, the temporary crown was not covered and cost over $500. I know there are families out there who do not have that to spare, and their decision might have been to continue to suffer and end up with a tooth extraction eventually. But beyond the cost element, for those of us who suffer from Burning Mouth Syndrome, we know there will be yet another price to pay.

Dental work can cause flare-ups of our burning that can last weeks, months, or even years. Continue reading →

Burning Mouth and the Humorous Pain Chart

Posted on October 25, 2018 by kalipr

A friend shared this image today on her Facebook page.

It caught my eye because as chronic pain sufferers, we get asked about our pain level all of the time by a variety of specialists. Burning Mouth Syndrome is a novelty to some doctors we encounter, and a pain chart helps to accurately convey the level of pain you experience and how it affects or inhibits your daily activities. Often it is a range, and with BMS, this is particularly true because our pain escalates throughout the day unless we find coping strategies or medicine that provides some intervention.

This “improved” version adds a bit of humor to the pain scale (bees, bears and ninjas?), but also makes the point that if you are truly at the top-level of pain (10 is the top!) then you are incapacitated or have been rendered unconscious by the level of pain and medical intervention is required immediately.

I was surprised by the comments that accompanied the image. Some laughed, but others were angry, feeling that the image was mocking their pain. Some even took the scale to task for not having enough numbers, because their pain was “at least an 11 or 12!” Others berated the creator for not including labor, even though that is a pain that only affects one gender.

Pain is affected by many factors, and each person’s tolerance and perception is individual but we must be consistent and coherent when talking about our pain levels with medical professionals. Some of the comments came from people in the medical profession and they gently mocked people who claimed they were experiencing a 10 level of pain but were “casually talking on their phone and eating chips.” Continue reading →

Aimovig, Erenumab, Migraines, Oh My!

Posted on July 9, 2018 by kalipr

There is a new migraine prevention medicine out there that is causing a lot of excitement in the chronic migraine sufferers of the world. Aimovig/Erenumab is the first and only FDA-approved Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) receptor blocker and my friends who have been battling debilitating migraine pain for years are eager to try it.

You can learn more about this at Aimovig. It is available by prescription only and right now reports are coming in that the manufacturer has been overwhelmed by the demand and there may be a wait to get this self-injectable monthly migraine preventative.

Will it work for everyone? The magic 8 ball says, “Probably not.”

That is the case for any medication, my friends. It will help some more than others, and often for reasons we don’t know or understand. But it is definitely worth having a conversation with your doctor if you suffer from chronic or episodic migraines and you have tried all of the usual suspects without lasting relief. The manufacturer is careful to say that it will lessen the number of migraines you have, not eliminate them completely.

Now, here’s a question…Could it help with Burning Mouth Syndrome pain? Continue reading →

Burning Mouth Syndrome & Your Teeth

Posted on June 7, 2018 by kalipr

When your mouth and tongue feel like they are on fire, the last thing you may be thinking of is going for a dental checkup or cleaning. Just the thought of someone messing around in your mouth, poking, prodding, and merely keeping your mouth open for that long can be daunting. But the consequences of leaving your teeth uncleaned and untreated can be so much worse than temporary discomfort.

Trust me.

I suspect my Burning Mouth Syndrome was kickstarted by dental procedures on a tooth that abscessed, had a root canal, an apicoectomy when that didn’t work and when that failed as well, the tooth was eventually surgically extracted along with the one next to it. That’s a lot of trauma at once and I have never believed that the onset of this round of BMS was not connected. I ended up with a beautiful bridge, a roaring case of BMS, and found an excellent dentist who was aware of my situation and treated me with kindness, gentleness, and discernment

I go for checkups and cleanings every six months, and can always call if I am experiencing any pain or discomfort. In nearly ten years, I have not had another cavity or issue due to this regimen and chewing xylitol gum whenever I chew gum.

Will I eventually need a dental procedure? Odds are good.

I have one crown that has its enamel chipped off and another molar that is under close watch, so dental work is definitely in my future, but since my dentist knows my history we are waiting as long as possible to do anything that might have the side effect of worsening the burning. It will be unavoidable at some point, but we talk about it each time I visit and I trust that he will do the right thing at the right time.

So, when is the last time you went for a dental checkup? If it has been over a year, please take this as a reminder to take care of yourself if you possibly can.

Prevention now can keep you from more pain later, and that is always a good thing.

When Burning Mouth Pain Takes Center Stage

Posted on May 10, 2018 by kalipr

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 →

Revisiting Your Meds – Life With Burning Mouth Syndrome

Posted on October 5, 2017 by kalipr

Medical Files 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. Continue reading →

Burning Mouth & Neurologists

Posted on August 23, 2016 by kalipr

Doctor Appointment for Burning Mouth Syndrome It’s just about time for my yearly check-up with my Neurologist. I refer to him as #3, since that is how many I have gone through in over 8 years of dealing with Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS).

Yes, you read me correctly…I am now at yearly check-ups. Continue reading →

Coping With Stress and BMS

Posted on August 13, 2016 by kalipr

09a9aa5c07898aca806cc27863f79d20 As you know, I have been dealing with Burning Mouth Syndrome for far longer than I ever thought possible.

I know there are those of you who are entering or have passed your second decade with this chronic pain and my heart goes out to you.

All of us who have dealt with BMS know that stress just makes it worse. We have seen the pattern again and again, and yet, life goes on.

I am considering a run for a local, elected office.

No stress there, right?

The urge to make a difference and be of value has trumped my hesitation to put myself out there and add stress to my life…so how will I handle it? Continue reading →

Something New – Burning Mouth Syndrome Support

Posted on May 29, 2016 by kalipr

8 years of chronic burning pain. The anniversary has passed, and so we start on the 9th year.

I have always had this feeling that something good just might come out of all of this mess, and with the help of my friend Dennis from the Facebook Support Group for BMS, I think that “something good” may have made its appearance. Continue reading →

A Burning Journey

One Woman's Experience with Burning Mouth Syndrome

Tag Archives: Neuralgia