Though I am sure you have probably tried most remedies... vitamins worked really well for me. If I am remembering correctly Lysine and B vitamins can help... or food high in those 2... It may be worth a try... Good luck.

Hi Jeff,
I have been told by my dentist (he's an eco-dentist, can you believe? Only in Berkeley!) that the lauryl sulfates (a lathering agent) in natural and mainstream toothpastes like Tom's can be a big contributor to causing canker sores. This makes sense to me since I cannot use shampoos that have them in it because it makes my scalp all reactionary. If you are using one that has it, it might be worth trying a different one that doesn't have it in it...hope you heal well soon!

Hello there,
The lauryl sulfates really were the culprit with my canker sores. I switched to Jason's "Healthy Mouth" toothpaste and I haven't had any since. As a canker sore sufferer since the age of 10 or so, this is the only thing that has worked. Whenever I run out of the stuff and use my husbands toothpaste with l.s's they tend to come right back. Good luck - I know how misereable they are....:(

Jeff, I'm Mike's cousin, as an intro. And even though you've already gotten advice on the canker sores, here's mine. They are actually herpes simplex 1. I think its an immune disease, related to chicken pox. I had a terrible case as a child. My entire mouth was covered. Painful, yes. Anyway, the doctor recommended swishing peroxide (I hated that), and dabbing alum on each sore. (You used to be able to buy alum powder in the drug sore. Anyway, it worked brilliantly, and quickly. It dries out the sores pretty quick. Tastes like shit for a minute, but really works. I've had just a few minor outbreaks after that and dabbed alum powder on it and VOILA, works great.

Oh, just a precautionary word. I knew a woman who ended up with genital herpes, which started out with her husbands canker sores.

So, there ya go. I hope by the time you read this, you've already been healed. That stuff is nasty and once you've gotten an outbreak, it recedes back into you body (nerve endings I think) and is never cured. Some folks will get an outbreak during stress times.

Grab yourself some alum for those times, and watch a sunset for the stress.

Good luck.

Terri

P.S. On second thought, your "canker sore" sounds pretty big. Might be a good idea to have a doc take a look and let him tell you it's a canker sore.

I am always amazed at how something relatively small can cause such immense pain, like a papercut, a canker sore (although yours no longer sounds small), a finger burn.

I too suffer from them on occasion, and know they are also brought on my stress (sounds like your moving, so that might be the culprit). I have found little to help ease the pain but time, although if it is affecting your eating, I'd see a doctor to get meds.

As far as what Mike's cousin said, my kids have had that virus (as have I, actually, and it is quite rare in adults), it's called Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, and it stinks. The doctor actually gave me Vicodin when I had it...

I'm sure you wanted sympathy and not advice, but possibly some of what people have said will help! Hang in there!

Nice post, Pitcher.

Strong writing.

Love your blog- and hope you are feeling much better!

I swear by this: arsenicum album. At your local crunchy granola store (or at the Davis Co-Op, next time you are in Davis) they have them in these little lipstick sized tubes. They are little pellets. The side of the tube will say they are used for diarrhea, but I use my tongue to rub the pellets on the canker sore and while it unfortunately will not numb the area, it will cut the healing time in half. I also get fewer of them than I used to. It's a homeopathic remedy.

The company is called boiron, here is their website. You can kind of see what the little tubes look like if you check out the graphic at the top of the page with the little white pellets.

http://www.boiron.com/index_en.asp

Diet is very important for healing cankers. I believe they are a virus like herpes. I have found that eating chocolate and coffee really aggrevates and brings them on, especially chocolate. So, hard as it may be, cut that out and it will help. Stay off the stress too, as a strong immune system will help.

Yep. Yep. Yep. SLS is a culprit, as are deadly nightshades (not deadly lampshades, though) like tomatoes and peppers. Alas. I use vitamin C with bioflavanoids and a bunch of other things that work for me. Once I get em (like, ah....NOW) not much I can do. Swishing with, get this, mylanta mixed 50/50 with liquid benadryl helps a little.

Some say virus.
Some say not.
I dunno.

All I know is it is a pain in the ass. And,if I don't play my cards right I can't eat for a long while.

Rotsa Ruck.

A faithful albeit quiet fan.

Hi...i must try the clove oil sometime, apparently arnica is very good for bruises I have been told. Have you ever listened to Robert Wyatt's songs, your beautiful writing reminds me of his songs, also his wife Alfreda Benge is a fantastic artist - and your art work is similar to hers...Venusx

Hi again..ta for your reply Jeff in another comment..i was well surprised at that. Anyway, i suggested arnica.. for bruises...but perhaps not bruises could potentially turn into gangerene if clove oil,, is anything to go by. A sore mouth or tongue does affects your whole self...i think.
Also how hariy do you think my arm is...a forest?? am I so hirsute...i was thinking an analogy of a light grassy meadow perhaps?;-) I like the way you talk about the every day in such a unique & extraordinary way. Also you really like Jeff Buckley...I think he is amazing too.