Dry tongue back pain

[JBCADR]

Just me again. 😩 I keep waking up with dry mouth in the middle of the night. My tongue is red irritated and slightly swollen. I’m worried this is a sign of something terrible and I can’t get back to sleep. Also my mid to lower back is hurting so much. I feel like I’m an old woman at age 37!

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Good morning b12 deficiency plays havoc with your tongue and gums as soon as I had stopped my injections because I was having some testing done the cuts magically reappeared on my tongue that was three weeks ago and I’ve been back on injections a week and it’s just starting to heal now so don’t worry.just be careful what your eating and drinking and drink plenty water.If your still not happy see your gp but in all honesty with the tongue issues my gp was useless.take care.

[Mozza127]

yes you will find the more you dont get regular treatment ,these problems creep in,my first sighn when i know my injection coming is my tongue starts burning then the rest follow.

[HopetoB12better in reply to Mozza127]

One of my symptoms was a burning tongue!!

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

One of the biggest problems I have found is getting all your symptoms recognised as being from the same source: B12 deficiency. If you ask a GP or even a specialist "What are the symptoms of B12 deficiency ? ", they will probably be able to name 3 or 4. "Tiredness" will probably be one of them thankfully, although we all know that tired doesn't start to explain the exhaustion you actually feel. A haematologist once even studied my fingernails - but she was the only person ever to do that.

When you have something you believe to be a symptom, if you check on here, people will soon tell you if this is something they are personally familiar with or recognise.

The problem from a GP/ specialist's point of view is that everyone is presenting different symptoms of varying severity, and even one individual's presented symptoms do not always remain the same. The list can change. With no constant, and no ruling regarding when a symptom is likely to emerge, what symptoms disappear early or what lingers, you can see the problems. Treatment that helps one patient is not necessarily enough to help another.

For this reason, keeping a daily record/ symptoms chart/ diary from early on can help - you and GP and any consultants involved. It sounds like you have a supportive GP, which is important.

Then add into the mix the possibility of folate, ferritin and/or vitamin D deficiencies with attendant symptoms, and you can see why this is difficult to disentangle. With all this, thyroid can start to struggle too. Get these tested too, if you can. Blood tests currrently difficult I know.

Vitamin B12 is needed for every cell in your body, so the most visible indicators might be:

-cracked, splitting, delaminating, dented or cobbled fingernails that lack moons

-hair loss or thinning/ frizziness

-yellow-pale skin

-bleeding gums

-air-hunger (a series of loud overlapping sigh-yawns)

-split, sore skin at corner/s of mouth

-and yes, a large burning tongue, sometimes with pie-crust edges and/or ulcers:

Weirdly, all this doesn't seem to make an immediate diagnosis possible !

While all of this is new and frightening, bear in mind that anxiety can also be a symptom. Whatever worries you, please feel free to ask, however strange your symptom might sound to you. The people who have replied to this and your other post and all the other helpful people of this forum will be able to set your mind at ease. If you look at my past posts (double click on name), you will be able to see a photo of my tongue for comparison : no ulcers, but not pretty !

Your back: when I first went to the GP in early 2015, it was in part because of my lower back pain. I could no longer stand up straight for very long, and had to hold onto things for support, starting in the morning with the bus-stop sign.

Aching bones and muscle weakness are on the list. This can be uncomfortable and make sleeping difficult. Try to rest, don't do too much right now.

When you have adequate treatment, whatever the reason for B12 deficiency, you will find things improving and some symptoms disappear that you did not even connect to this condition ! Wishing you well and let us know how you get on.

[JBCADR in reply to Cherylclaire]

I just saw this! Thank you so much! I’m struggling with anxiety! I have literally never been this anxious or fearful in all my life! It’s wreaking havoc on my emotions. I think if I could sleep it would help! Las tonight my tongue swelling was down and I woke up and had saliva! It was awesome! Haha the little things. I had a shot yesterday. I also got told that my thyroid is enlarged and I was sent for an ultrasound. My initial bloodwork has all been fine but she ordered the antibody test to see what it shows. Thank you for sharing about the back pain. That’s been a source of anxiety because it’s just a constant dull ache and keeps me awake. And then my mind wanders! I’m so thankful for people like you who make me feel like this is normal.

[Cherylclaire Forum Support in reply to JBCADR]

No problem, JBCADR - glad to be of help. You've got a lot to contend with right now.

Sounds like you are being well looked after currently.

Any worries or questions, just ask, okay ?

[JBCADR in reply to Cherylclaire]

Thank you so much! Tonight I’m noticing my fingers feel almost stiff! I keep flexing them and trying to stretch them. This is new! I catch myself clenching my fists just sitting here. Could be anxiety but it’s weird

[Cherylclaire Forum Support in reply to JBCADR]

Often feel like that about jaw ache: gritting teeth without realising it.

Try to relax and get some sleep tonight.

Weirdest symptom I can remember was brain getting smells wrong. I walked into a supermarket and immediately the automatic doors opened, I got a huge wave of raw sewage from the fruit and veg aisles ! Walked straight out again, partner convinced me that I was being ridiculous so I went back in: exactly the same smell again. At the time, I was so sure it was real, until I noticed that no-one else in the shop was at all bothered.

Do you know, I've even seen this symptom on a list since then?

Not just me then....bit of a relief.

[JBCADR in reply to Cherylclaire]

It makes me feel better reading these symptoms that everyone else has. I k ow I’m not alone, but it still scares me.

[Cherylclaire Forum Support in reply to JBCADR]

Hold on. It will get better than this, but it might take a bit of time.

Ask for printouts of blood test results. Sometimes, it is about monitoring direction of travel as much as looking for what is already below range.

You can post results here for help if you need to- but don't forget to mask names, personal details and addresses: your's and those of any GP/surgery/hospital. Units of measurement and ranges are useful, as some vary quite a bit from one area or lab to another.

Don't forget, on here you are reading posts from people like you who are still looking for answers. The many, many people who have got their answers and have managed their condition well ? I like to think they are way too busy !!