"Geographic tongue". This is the diagnosis I got from my doctor the other day after
I began to notice small fissures and bare spots on my tongue where the taste buds had sort of sloughed away. My tongue burned and was pretty raw and red. Eating spicy foods was pure torture. Eventually, most of my taste buds were replace by smooth tissue.
I'll give you a little history now and see if any of you can makes some sense of it. About a month and 1/2 ago I developed a tooth infection. I was put on Penicillin VK for 10 days. The infection cleared up and I had the tooth extracted followed by another 10 day course of Penicillin VK. Then, I developed a urinary tract infection along with epididymitis and was put on Sulfameth/Trimeth for 5 days but then switched to Cipro for 20 days. Everything cleared up but then I decided to take another round of Cipro, this time, for 5 days. A few days later I developed a severely sore throat which I was told was something that was "going around" my area. I was given Doxycycline which I took for 5 days but stopped because I suspected I was having an allergic reaction to it. Then I was put on a course of Azithromycin (Z-Pak) and Methylpredisolone (a steroid). I felt good for a few days but then developed "geographic tongue" and a yeast infection (trust me, you don't want to know where) so now I'm taking several different anti-fungals.
I'm guessing this is what happens when you take numerous antibiotics for a long period of time. You end up on an "antibiotic merry-go-round" and It weakens your immune system and depletes your body of vitamines (particularly the B vitamines). People with a vitamine B deficiency are known to develop problems with their tongue (ie; "sore tongue syndrome", etc). Steroids also weaken the immune system.
About me: 40 year old, heterosexual male with a history of excellent health. I am HIV negative and have been abstinent most of my life because that is how I choose to be. I was feeling great before all this began. I do have a history of OCD, anxiety disorders, panic attacks and hypochondria. I also stress a lot over my health but these are real symptoms that I was diagnosed with and that I can see). I do not smoke, chew or drink (although I used to) and I get plenty of excersize. I have spent probably 10 years accumulating shoe-boxes full of tests and everything has always come back normal. I also suffer from GERD, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Turette's Syndrome, Acute Sinusitis and Alergic Rhinitis but none of these things prevent me from enjoying life. Anyway, there's some history.
Anyway, there is no "point" to all of this per se. I guess I'm just throwing this information out there to see if anyone else has gone through this same experience after prolonged use of antibiotics, steroids, etc.
Just curious about something...does an oral yeast infection always present as "white patches" or does it also present with the symptoms I have described above?
- Peace
[This message has been edited by jimbrown (edited 05-16-2003).]
"Geographic tongue"
Linear Mode
