Illness and canker sores?

[GrammarGal]

Occasionally I'll get these small, painful sores on the inside of my mouth (not cold sores). Usually it is after my stomach has felt yucky. I've heard that the sores are a response to having a virus of some sort. I had some lower GI problems a few days ago, and now I have a canker sore on my gum. Could I have had a mild bug? Does anyone else get these sores? I also thought that perhaps they result from acid reflux. I've gotten cavities from reflux, so why couldn't it burn my mouth, too? Any thoughts? Man, I hate these sores. Especially the little bumps on your tongue!

[KaydeeJayde]

Seems like I'm answering all of your questions. I think those are ulcers, and my mother (she's a nurse) says they're common when you're run down, or when you've BEEN run down, so they're your body's way of telling you it might not be coping. They do hurt a lot. Try a numbing gel from the pharmacy, it should help calm it down a bit.

[asianeko]

I get canker sores all the time. I've never felt ill due to them though, or had illness that I believe caused them. They do hurt like crazy!

[GrammarGal]

Hmm. Sounds like they could be caused by any number of things. I had a sore throat for a few days, so maybe my body was fighting off something in my throat. Thanks for answering, guys! It made me feel better.

[wargerbil]

You could try some L-Lysine, 500mg twice a day. It's an amino acid supplement. My husband gets mouth sores and that usually clears it up within a day or two.

[person54321]

Lysine actually only works with cold sores (though it works wonders for them, and you need 2,000-2,500 mg a day when you start getting symptoms according to my doctor). Cold sores tend to pop up when you're stressed or sick with other things, it's very normal to get them as you're recovering from something else. Stress or lack of sleep also trigger them though, so you don't have to be sick. Both canker sores and cold sores are caused by the same things (though people also think consuming arginine-rich foods causes cold sores). So the existence of one could mean you've been anxious lately, not sleeping well, had a change in diet, etc...

[GrammarGal]

Good deal. I've never had cold sores or fever blisters (the ones on your lips), but I get the ones inside my mouth fairly frequently. I have a lot of anxiety and I have acid reflux, so it could be anything.

[asianeko]

If you're trying to take away the pain, I find Zylactin works wonders. It hurts like hell when you first put it on, but then it numbs and makes a protective barrier over the sore.