Icky sores at the corners of my mouth
 

Hey everyone...need to pick your brains again. I am almost done with my steroid taper after the whole brain radiation..Im down to 1/2 pill every other day (2 mg every other day). Suddenly about two days ago, the corners of mouth broke out in sores, three or four in each corner. Any advice on what may be causing it or what I might do to ward it off? They hurt like heck!

Re: Icky sores at the corners of my mouth
 

OUCH! I've had those before and always have to remember to moisten the corners of my mouth before I try to open to eat or drink anything.
I think staying really well hydrated, but also try to be really diligent about using chapstick or carmex throughout the day, concentrating on applying an extra bit in the corners.
Do you have anymore MagicMouth wash? or Ulcerease? Maybe dabbing a little on the corners will help will pain since there is lydocaine in it.
Who knows WHAT could be causing it - we're exposed to so much stuff - so my answer is hydrate hydrate hydrate and moisturize!
Hope this is helpful!

Keep the Faith~

Jessica

Re: Icky sores at the corners of my mouth
 

Jessica (hey, girl!) gave you some excellent advice...you could also try peroxide and Vaseline


Karen

Re: Icky sores at the corners of my mouth
 

Thanks so much...I'll try your suggestions. ((hugs)) Seems like we get rid of one side effect and something else pops up. :)

Re: Icky sores at the corners of my mouth
 

One time I was found to have chalitis and the dematologist told me to use over-the-counter anthlet foot medicine. (Yip, dab it in the cornner of my mouth... :)

Sores are caused by bacteria/virus infection. You might want to give your oncology nurse a ring and see what their advice might be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_sore

Re: Icky sores at the corners of my mouth
 

I don't know what causes it either...but I remember how much it hurts!

I agree with Jessica (big surprise), LOTS of chapstick (I tried a lip balm with tea tree oil in it per someone's suggestion...but I really think regular chapstick worked better) But, seriously, I probably applied chapstick 10 times a day.

And, you can NEVER be too hydrated on this nightmare of a journey!

Hope these nasty sores heal quickly...as I recall, they hung around for several days...well over a week...and then one day, when I was putting on the chapstick...I noticed the were gone!

Best of everything to you!
Denise

Re: Icky sores at the corners of my mouth
 

I think Jackie may have nailed it in passing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angular_cheilitis
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1949217/

I would definitely call for help, because treating the wrong cause might make things worse. I don't remember having those cracks during chemo/herceptin (didn't have a lot of mouth problems after I gave up the Magic Mouthwash and started using chlorhexidine), but I do remember having them at other times in my life, and I just wanted to shoot myself. It's amazing how sometimes the smallest of problems can induce so much misery.

I just want to throw in a caution about tea tree oil. I was once an addict--I used it for everything. And then one day, it caught up with me--I used it as part of a foot soak, and my toenails fell off--and I've had a severe sensitivity ever since. If it even touches my skin, I itch for several days.

Re: Icky sores at the corners of my mouth
 

Holy cow, Rhonda! I use tea tree oil for a lot of things. I can't believe your toenails fell off! o.O That really sucks!
Well, I hydrated, hydrated and hydrated, and I bought Carmex in the stick form and in the little pot. The Carmex from the little pot stung like the devil, so I went to using the stick and Im done to just one sore. I know it's just a little thing compared to a lot of the symptoms we all have, but wow, was it bothering me. Must be papercut syndrome, lol. Thank you so much. Don't know what I would do if I couldn't connect with people who have gone through the same things...very grateful for this site and all of you. Smiles!

Re: Icky sores at the corners of my mouth
 

Hi
It's very very common to get a fungal infection at the corners of the mouth especially when your immunity is compromised.Some anti fungal meds will zap it really quickly
Hugs
Ellie