Mouth ulcers.

[AshleyElaine87]

Hey! I know there's been a lot of talk about mouth ulcers, but it's new to me, and I have one on my tongue. I have looked it up, and some information I have found states it's a sign that a flare-up is starting. Is this true?

Thanks!

 

[Dexky]

My son used to get them frequently w/o any other signs of a flare. Though he will still get one rarely, they have been cut way down by adding an extra B-complex vitamin and using hydrogen peroxide based mouthwash. Good luck Ashley!

 

[David]

Hi Ashley,

In my opinion, it's a sign not so much that a flare is starting, but that you're in a flare. I feel that the vast majority of the time, these ulcers are due to vitamin deficiency which is due to malabsorption which is due to inflammation in your intestines.

You'll see some people report that the ulcers go away with treatments such as entocort. My guess is because that takes away the inflammation which, as long as there is proper diet thereafter, allows uptake of nutrients again.

I'd suggest a high quality B Complex vitamin like Dexky above put forth. If it was me, I'd also be supplementing additional B12 as well.

Good luck!

 

[Grant]

I get them on the roof of my mouth, v. painful. I use throat spray which i find works well & hot salt water.
Rgds
Grant

 

[Spooky1]

Does anyone get the recurring ulcers. i have one place that one always comes up on. it is also on the roof of my mouth. i'm also a little worried as my dad's recurring ulcers have turned cancerous despite regular check up on them. he does not have crohns and i don't have as many as i used to when young. this might be something to do with the liquid diet (permanant)

 

[Grant]

Definite recurring for me & I've even had one that became infected on my throat. The problem is its not the sort of thing that I can pop into the hospital with so they can take a biopsy. Appointments & all that, the ulcer would be long gone.
Rgds
Grant

 

[Spooky1]

I know, Grant, they're a real nuisance. we suffer with them and no one seems to understand quite how bad they can be.

 

[scoutfinch]

Are canker sores included in the mouth ulcers category (or synonymous)? I also get them sometimes when I flare. They sting so bad. For me, quick temporary relief can be found by rinsing my mouth with ice water (and also avoiding salty/acidic/spicy foods). It takes a good two weeks for them to run their course.

 

[AshleyElaine87]

Hi Ashley,

In my opinion, it's a sign not so much that a flare is starting, but that you're in a flare. I feel that the vast majority of the time, these ulcers are due to vitamin deficiency which is due to malabsorption which is due to inflammation in your intestines.

You'll see some people report that the ulcers go away with treatments such as entocort. My guess is because that takes away the inflammation which, as long as there is proper diet thereafter, allows uptake of nutrients again.

I'd suggest a high quality B Complex vitamin like Dexky above put forth. If it was me, I'd also be supplementing additional B12 as well.

Good luck!

I take the B12 shots already. I don't feel like I am in a flare, but I am getting sick a lot more, but I am also pregnant, so I am not sure what is Crohn's and what is pregnancy. I am guessing ulcers are not part of pregnancy though!

 

[Spooky1]

i've heard, but cannot speak from experience, that illnesses sometimes go straight into remission during pregnancy. alternatively it can also exacerbate the illness.

good luck with pregnancy, i think the vast majority of women complain of sickness, lol. but be kind, blame crohns rather than the baby.

 

[David]

Here's a little backup as to why the Vitamin B Complex supplements help with mouth ulcers: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001394/

A common symptom of folate (aka vitamin B9) deficiency is mouth ulcers according to the link above. People with Crohn's disease are COMMONLY deficient in Folate and some of the medications Crohnies take also interferes with folate metabolism.

If you have mouth ulcers, try a quality complex B but also be sure to get your vitamin B12 levels checked as supplementing folate can mask symptoms of B12 deficiency which are also common with Crohnies.

 

[Crohns2011]

I've been dealing with my flare up and now I have a bump in my mouth, this site is freaking me out. I was just diagnosed with Crohn's and I can't believe my life is going to be full of sickness, I used to be normal!