I have been back on Atkins for about 1 and 1/2 months. For the last month I have found that my mouth has been getting painful sores. At first I thought it was connected to a cold/sore throat. Now it is back again. I feel like the back of my tongue is extremely sensitive. When I swallow, and the back of my tongue naturally moves up to the roof of my mouth as is part of the swallowing action, I feel a lot of pain. Feeling along my tongue with my fingertip, I can feel a lot of protrusions, like many many swollen taste buds which are quite painful. At other points on my tongue, I also have swollen taste buds, but only one or two here and there. By far, the majority of them are at the very back of my tongue, as far back as I can feel and beyond even.

Anyone have any experience with something like this? I don't know what it causing it and I am wondering if it could have something to do with my diet? Any help would be appreciated as I am in quite a bit of pain.

otenn,

I doubt that your problem is diet related, but it would be worth a trip to the doctor to see if you have a viral or baterial infection.

I've had this off and on and the only thing I could tie it to was eating a lot of tomatoes. In the summer, when they were fresh from the garden, I'd eat them like an apple.....and get the same symptoms. Milk always relieved it....right before bed slowly drink an ounce or so of milk....take a mouthful hold it in your mouth as long as you can before swallowing. See if that helps.

I was going to suggest irritating foods, too. Besides tomatoes: chilis or hot sauce, pickles, vinegar, carbonated drinks.

I would say you're probably eating something you're sensitive to, or you have an infection of some sort.

Have you been eating a lot of acidic foods? Try swishing with some warm salt water 2x a day for a week or so.

I'll just add my own personal experience here. Whenever I eat walnuts I get gum/mouth sores???

I'll get them sometimes but I'm prone to mouth ulcers I think it's stress related. I would suggest laying off things that are acidic & take some L-Lysine & B vitamins.

I don't know if this is what you have but people who grind their teeth while they are sleeping can end up biting their tonges which could give you inflamed taste buds. Next time you go to a dentist consider asking them about it.

Do you have white spots on your tongue or is it coated?

If you are in as much pain as you describe, I'd suggest that you go to a dentist or doctor and not rely on forum members. We are not qualified to diagnose medical disorders.

If it turns out to be thrush, you need some sort of prescription meds.

Kay

Are you taking any kind of medication?

P.S. I'm definitely with Kay on seeing the doctor

Have you eaten anything new? It might be an allergy...

I have had that problem a couple of times. One time it was a viral infection and the dr. gave me meds to cope with the pain until it ran it's course and the other times it seemed to be a deficiency in l-lysine. Now I try that first with this problem and canker sores and have great success. Since lc'ing, I haven't had a problem.

Thanks for your replies. I have no problem seeing a doctor, it is just that the timing of the first occurance of the problem seemed to coincide with when I restarted Atkins. It has been several years since my first attempt at Atkins, and I don't remember this happening to me then, but I just wasn't sure. I simply wanted to make sure this wasn't a typical problem related to something obvious.

I am not relying on the forum for medical advice. I am just asking if anyone else has a similar problem.

I am actually thinking that it just might be a part of this lingering cold/throat infection/virus sort of thing I have going on right now. While my food intake has changed with Atkins, I haven't ADDED any new foods that I previously avoided, so I don't think it is contact with some new flavour or group of foods (acidic or not) that is causing this problem. The focus of the swelling changed from the back of my tongue to the front of my tongue the day after my original post, so I was relieved at least, to find that it wasn't going to last forever!

Today is the most normal day I've had in a while. I can still feel a few sensitive areas, but overall, almost normal. I am hoping that as my cold/sore throat etc... clears up, so will my tongitis.

Thanks for all your ideas, and I am upping some supplements as well, in case that happens to be it.