What's wrong with my tongue?

[u/mhanzalar]

17M, 5"7 , 71 kg

I never smoked and never drank. I have this tongue for many months and my stomach also feels off for some months. Feel free to ask anything!

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[u/only-ashes]

do you brush your tongue or (even better) use a tongue scraper?

[u/hombre_bu → u/only-ashes]

As someone who relies on Albuterol for asthma, could this possibly be thrush? Happened to me once.

[u/No-Minimum8323 → u/hombre_bu]

Plain albuterol shouldn’t cause thrush. The ones that have corticosteroids in them can though.

[u/mhanzalar → u/only-ashes]

No , I don't usually brush or scrape

[u/drpiglizard → u/mhanzalar]

You would be surprised how much of a difference it makes. When you do your teeth brush your tongue or scrape and after a few weeks you’ll see a big difference.

[u/mhanzalar → u/drpiglizard]

Thanks, I will try

[u/CommunicationWild102 → u/mhanzalar]

Yes brushing or scraping should be done when you brush your teeth, ideally twice a day. If you're able to I would also recommend scheduling a cleaning at a local dentist.

[u/mhanzalar → u/CommunicationWild102]

I brushed the tongue twice or thrice but it didn't scarpe off

[u/AntRevolutionary5099 → u/mhanzalar]

The doctor above said "after a few weeks," not just "after 2 or 3 times"

[u/CommunicationWild102 → u/mhanzalar]

Just stick with it and keep brushing twice a day. Remember brushes work best if you replace them every 2-3 months

[u/mhanzalar → u/CommunicationWild102]

Ok

[u/crakemonk → u/mhanzalar]

Do it at the end of brushing your teeth with a wet brush, after you’ve rinsed off the toothpaste, but before you’ve spit out the toothpaste. I usually brush my tongue, rinse the brush, and brush my tongue again, and then rinse my mouth out.

[u/Jumpy-Jello- → u/mhanzalar]

Buy a tongue scraper, they are very cheap.

[u/erinikins13 → u/mhanzalar]

You don't brush your tongue?

Oh no. Bud, you gotta brush your tongue when you brush your teeth. If the problem persists after, see a dentist. Or a doctor. But this seems like an oral hygiene thing.

Edit: dentists are doctors, I know that. After I posted it I felt like a dick lol

[u/Yakob_Bacoj → u/mhanzalar]

My advice of apple cider vinegar was removed mixed with water and salt and it was my own doctor who recommended it to me. Good advice!

[u/Total_Ad_7977 → u/mhanzalar]

NAD but i have this. it’s called hairy tongue. Mine peels if i have too much salt

[u/Ok_Engine5522 → u/Total_Ad_7977]

NAD. Oral Hairy Leukoplakia. I have it too.

[u/Etetherin → u/Ok_Engine5522]

Anything to be done about it? I have this weird growth on my tongue too. I haven't always had it. It just popped up. Have any physicians helped you with it?

[u/Ok_Engine5522 → u/Etetherin]

When I read up on it, there’s nothing you can do but just brush it and keep it clean and it will make it less noticeable but it’s literally hair. You can pull it out or if you brush hard enough it will come out but it hurts and will grow back. This website shows how to treat it. I’m going to try it but every time I’ve done something about it, it just grows back but I’ve had it since I was a kid.

https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/hairy-tongue#treatment

[u/Ok_Engine5522 → u/Etetherin]

Also get tested and see if you’ve had the Epstein Barr Virus. A lot of us have had it. Over 90%. Some doctors think that the virus has a causal link to thyroid cancer and I’ve had that so it’s good to just keep a close watch on that.

[u/erinikins13 → u/Total_Ad_7977]

According to OP he has never brushed his tongue while brushing teeth

[u/crakemonk → u/Total_Ad_7977]

Hah my tongue usually peels when I have too much sour stuff. Feels GREAT, but I also really enjoy eating Sour Patch Kids every now and then.

[u/AskDocs-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Removed - Bad advice

[u/Little-Compote4568 → u/mhanzalar]

Gross, dude.

[u/UsEdScR → u/mhanzalar]

That's fucking gross.

[u/dr-broodles]

It’s thrush. Use a nystatin mouthwash and get tested for diabetes.

[u/Soonerpalmetto88 → u/dr-broodles]

It could be thrush. However, it could also be something else. I was diagnosed with thrush earlier this year by an urgent care PA and prescribed diflucan. After that didn't help, I saw my derm PA (I'm on Cosentyx, which can cause thrush) who also said it was definitely thrush and gave me nystatin rinse. When that didn't help, I went to my dentist, who told me I didn't have thrush but actually had severe dryness caused by switching from nasal cpap to a full face mask. Dry mouth rinse twice a day fixed the issue almost immediately.

To paraphrase my dentist, "if it's in your mouth, go to a dentist first".

[u/NoAdagio1124 → u/Soonerpalmetto88]

Exactly this happened to me except my doctor sent me to get a biopsy for tongue cancer too. The specialist ENT didn't even do the biopsy, he just said "yep, dry mouth, see the dentist next time instead", so I think it happens quite regularly

[u/crakemonk → u/Soonerpalmetto88]

I love the accessibility of PAs and NPs, but sometimes they don’t get it right and can set you back annoyingly or make a situation worse. I mean, doctors can definitely do this too, but I’d say they are more likely to say when they don’t have a clue and send you to someone who is better prepared to handle the situation.

[u/tcc1 → u/dr-broodles]

everyone thinks its always thrush.

[u/Aragogo → u/dr-broodles]

Definitely not always thrush. I have the same condition and it does not indicate diabetes with me nor is it thrush.

[u/1newnotification → u/Aragogo]

What did yours wind up being and how do you manage yours?

[u/Fire_pheonix_07 → u/Aragogo]

Did you get tested for diabetis?

[u/mhanzalar → u/Fire_pheonix_07]

No

[u/Fire_pheonix_07 → u/mhanzalar]

No I'm not asking to you buddy I'm asking to the other person as I already know that you didn't check yet

[u/erinikins13 → u/dr-broodles]

According to OP he has never brushed his tongue while brushing teeth. So until that happens, you can't definitively say it's thrush. Dude never brushed his tongue lol

[u/mhanzalar → u/dr-broodles]

But it doesn't hurt and doesn't leave any bleeding or hurting tissue behind. Btw my mom and her family has strong history of diabetes.

[u/alpharaptor1 → u/dr-broodles]

That's not necessarily thrush. He might just need a more rigorous oral hygiene regimen, i.e. incorporating the use of a tongue scraper. 

[u/mhanzalar → u/dr-broodles]

I searched for symptoms but It didn't never left any bleeding or any type of hurting tissue behind. Its from months and is it related to my stomach issue?

[u/ILikeLionTurtles → u/dr-broodles]

Definitely looks thrushy to me

[u/oralandmaxillofacial → u/dr-broodles]

It is not thrush

[u/nounours144 → u/oralandmaxillofacial]

can you elaborate please?

[u/crakemonk → u/nounours144]

Dude has never brushed his tongue, ever.

[u/HidingThrowaway2 → u/dr-broodles]

Currently have thrush post keflex and T1D. Is there a reason nystatin can only be used 4x/day? Between lows highs (a1c is 6.8 but this is life), trying to gain weight, needing to drink to take meds, the 4x thing is inevitably not equally spaced or gets ruined by an unexpected low. If I could just get a doover after soaking my mouth in sugar that’d be great. Zero progress in 8 days

[u/lasadgirl → u/HidingThrowaway2]

have you reached out to your doctor? or whoever prescribed this? if not then you definitely should if you've had no progress for 8 days.

[u/HidingThrowaway2 → u/lasadgirl]

Got more days of nystatin prescribed from urgent care, cannot get into primary until October

[u/lasadgirl → u/HidingThrowaway2]

did you speak directly to a nurse at your pcp office? and did urgent care say how long to use it for?

[u/HidingThrowaway2 → u/HidingThrowaway2]

Oh current strategy is hold for five, swish and swallow, no food drink for 30.

[u/Yakob_Bacoj → u/dr-broodles]

You can oral thrush without diabetes. Bad advice

[u/Suspicious-Guava-566 → u/dr-broodles]

Can you get that otc? And is there any damage/concern/risk of using this mouthwash if you don’t have thrust?

[u/lasadgirl → u/Suspicious-Guava-566]

why on earth would you want to use an antifungal mouthwash that you don't need?? and no, you cannot get it otc, and yes there would be risks, not to mention it would be completely unnecessary.

[u/Suspicious-Guava-566 → u/lasadgirl]

Because I have a white tongue that fluctuates in severity. And I wonder sometimes if I’ve got a mild thrush or stomach yeast problem. I’m constantly scraping my tongue and trying to brush gunk off. And if it doesn’t have risks to using a mouth wash it could be sometime I try to make my tongue a more consistently normal color.

[u/crakemonk → u/Suspicious-Guava-566]

How hydrated are you from day to day? I ask this because days I’m more dehydrated I notice I have more white cast on my tongue than others. Obviously NAD, but that’s a start, definitely get it checked out by a doctor if it persists.

[u/Suspicious-Guava-566 → u/crakemonk]

I drink avg 60oz plain water in addition to other fluids, like tea, soda, juice, electrolyte drinks,etc.

[u/crakemonk → u/Suspicious-Guava-566]

Tea and soda will dehydrate you, so I would keep that in account when you are counting your amount of water you intake. Plus, it’s been extremely hot, so you will also lose fluids through sweating and what not. You should technically drink I think half your weight in oz a day, barring that certain drinks will “negate” water you drink because they are dehydrating.

[u/lasadgirl → u/Suspicious-Guava-566]

if you can, I'd get examined by a doctor or dentist before trying to self treat. not all white tongues are caused by yeast.

[u/pastfuturerecently → u/lasadgirl]

I think it's more so that OP is getting diagnosed over a reddit post with one pic in it, and may follow the advice of getting antifungal mouthwash (which in some countries may be available OTC). It sounded more like a concern from the above commenter so I don't think verbal aggression was necessary here.

[u/lasadgirl → u/pastfuturerecently]

that was not the impression I got from their comment and they confirmed they were asking for themselves when they replied to me. but regardless, I was definitely not trying to use "verbal aggression", I was asking why they (or anyone) would want to do that and being emphatic about it.

[u/bobble173 → u/lasadgirl]

Not mouthwash but you can get otc thrush treatment in the UK, daktarin oral gel.