Weird Tongue

[WhoStoleMyFlamingo]

Hey guys, I thought I was doing better, I refuse to google but right now I'm really scared and I need some advice.

Today I noticed my tongue looked pale, which I've never noticed before I don't think this has ever happened to me, and a few hours later it had red dots on it which I assume are inflammed taste buds, and it got a bit whiter on top.

I just want to know what this could be, and if it is a symptom that needs immediate attention...

I don't have other symptoms, I feel a bit hot but I don't have fever...

Thanks for your help :)

[Fishmanpa]

Unfortunately, one cannot diagnose via the forum but it could be many things. The first thing that came to mind is oral thrush. Usually, it starts with a white coating on your tongue. It's basically a fungal infection. It's very easily treatable if that's what it is.

Positive thoughts

[anthrokid]

As fishmanpa said, it does sound to me like oral thrush, which is generally characterised by white coating on the tongue and redness. Nothing to panic about - definitely not deadly or damaging to any important organs. Treatment for thrush is easy if that's what it is, all you need is an oral tablet and bam, treated. Check in with your doctor to see what they think, and they'll be able to sort it out pretty quickly :) You could also check in with your pharmacist. I'm not sure what protocol is in your country, but medication for thrush is available over the counter in Australia, and for oral thrush generally a pharmacist can take a quick peep at your tongue and let you know if they think it is thrush.

[Althea]

Keep in mind also that some thin white coating is actually perfectly normal (sort of like a bit of sugary glaze over the pink that lets the pink show through), and it often is slightly denser and thus whiter on the top; the larger taste buds will normally stand out against this, too. So you could just be noticing this about your tongue when it's been like this all along.

[anthrokid]

That is also true Althea :) I've always had a lighter tongue than most, and I'm sure that at some stage I probably poked and prodded my tongue and freaked out over it being whiteish, when really it was always that way, I'd just never paid it so much attention before, haha!

[WhoStoleMyFlamingo]

Thank you so much for your replies, you guys are awesome :)

I'm very lucky and my doctor gave me his cellphone number (knowing I have HA, very kind of him), and I called him to ask if this was a symptom of something that needed to be treated urgently (I felt pretty dumb), he said it wasn't and that I should just try using mouthwash. It helped me calm down a bit for a while, but your answers were really helpful aswell.
My tongue is still pale, but maybe like anthrokid said it has always been like this, I just didn't pay attention to it. And I tried brushing my tongue and it did remove some of that white coating, so you guys were right, it's probably oral thrush or something like that. I made an appointment with my doctor anyways because today I'm worried about my stomach as I'm taking an antiacid and I think it's not letting my body digest some foods correctly. I find something new to worry about everyday, it's exhausting :(

Anyways, thanks for your help, hope you're all dealing well with this HA monster :)
xx

[anthrokid]

Good to hear we helped alleviate some of your anxiety :) That's what this forum is for! That's also really quite awesome about your doctor passing on his cellphone number. I had a psychiatrist do the same for me. I only ever had to use it once, but just knowing his support was there 24/7 made things a lot easier.

Hopefully your appointment goes well tomorrow. Let us know how you go :)

[GlassPinata]

Hey guys, I thought I was doing better, I refuse to google but right now I'm really scared and I need some advice.

Today I noticed my tongue looked pale, which I've never noticed before I don't think this has ever happened to me, and a few hours later it had red dots on it which I assume are inflammed taste buds, and it got a bit whiter on top.

I just want to know what this could be, and if it is a symptom that needs immediate attention...

I don't have other symptoms, I feel a bit hot but I don't have fever...

Thanks for your help :)

When I was younger I had an eating disorder and became anemic, and one of the symptoms was that my gums and tongue were very pale.
Do you think you could be anemic?
Do you eat a healthy amount of protein?

[WhoStoleMyFlamingo]

Hey anthrokid,
Yeah it was very sweet of him, I've called him three times and he was always helpful. I'm seeing my doctor next week actually, but I'll let you know how it went :)

GlassPinata,
I've lost some weight due to anxiety and excessive stomach acid (I couldn't eat properly as I was constantly nauseous), I'm taking medicine for that and I've been eating more, I think I still have a healthy weight though. My gums are not pale, and my hair and nails don't show signs of malnutrition, I might be a bit anaemic these days because I'm on my period, but it's true that I should probably include more proteins in my diet. I did some blood tests last month and they didn't show any problems, do you think I could become anaemic in just a month? I'll ask my doctor if that could be the problem, specially because stomach acid pills can stop the body from digesting some foods correctly...


Again, thanks for your answers :)

[Althea]

To clarify, it's iron intake that you need to prevent anemia, not protein--they coexist in some foods, but they don't automatically go together. Here's a list: http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/health-and-wellness/iron-rich-foods. Keep in mind that non-heme iron, the kind from vegetables and grains, is going to suffer more interference from antacids than heme iron, the kind from red meat.

[WhoStoleMyFlamingo]

Right! I knew it was iron, I wrote proteins cause I associated vegetarianism with anaemia.
Thanks for sharing that website, I don't eat much meat but I do eat lots of vegetables, that could explain why I've been feeling a bit anaemic!
xx

[WhoStoleMyFlamingo]

Hey everyone, I don't know if you guys are still paying attention to this thread but I saw my doctor today, and he prescribed a lower dose of antacids and said that I didn't have anaemia because I did blood tests in January and there was nothing wrong with them.
Well, about the white tongue, you guys were right, it was oral thrush... my tongue got its normal colour back after I started using mouthwash (durr)

So yeah, I hope this thread will be helpful in the future, and thanks for your answers!

[anthrokid]

Fantastic news :) Good to hear there's nothing serious going on for you.

[Catherine S]

I just wanted to say how much I love your username :D On a forum where mad usernames are the norm 'who stole my flamingo' tops them all for me! And happy that you feel better about things too.

ISB

[WhoStoleMyFlamingo]

Thanks guys, I'm feeling way better, I hope you're all doing fine :D
I've been using this username for ages, it's not easy to find a decent username nowadays so I had to go as crazy as possible ahah! I love yours too, I still Believe :)

[Button1]

I had this when my anxiety was really bad- my tongue had a coating and my mouth became so dry I had to use a special mouth spray. I did go to the GP about it (I felt silly too but was definitely in an anxiety tailspin so went anyway!) and she said it was extremely common for anxiety sufferers to experience this. As Fishmanpa says, we can't diagnose here but I'd bet my house that it isn't sinister (and I LOVE my house so I don't say that lightly!)

[WhoStoleMyFlamingo]

I had this when my anxiety was really bad- my tongue had a coating and my mouth became so dry I had to use a special mouth spray. I did go to the GP about it (I felt silly too but was definitely in an anxiety tailspin so went anyway!) and she said it was extremely common for anxiety sufferers to experience this. As Fishmanpa says, we can't diagnose here but I'd bet my house that it isn't sinister (and I LOVE my house so I don't say that lightly!)

Ahah really? I had no idea it was a common anxiety symptom :D Mouthwash did the trick, but you know, being a hypochondriac I always jump to the worst conclusions :(
Thanks for your reply <3