Originally Posted by Joano

Mrs.D, yesterday your "favorite doctor," Dr. Oz, praised Kefir and held up a carton--but it wasn't Lifeway--told his audience how great it was for the G.I.
track.

Originally Posted by Geraldine

I was very interested with this description of leukoplakia.
Every time in the past year that I have read a description that mentions HIV, I have been worried, just because a lot of these descriptions are similar to what I describe. But I tested negative for HIV in 2007, and then recently in January I retested just to make sure, and I tested negative. Since I have been with only one person in the past 5 plus years I am definite that I do not have HIV. But I have wondered extensively about what's going on with my tongue. I do like wine. And I seem to have geographic tongue.

I just went to the dentist last week for this problem, and then also went to an ENT. My white spots are "normal" and I do NOT have thrush or yeast in the mouth. Both dentist and ENT have assured me that I do not have any yeast and both have said my tongue looks completely normal. The dentist said I have a swollen submandibular salivary gland. That it was hard and should be checked by an oral surgeon. The oral surgeon he referred me to said on the phone that he would most likely just send me to an ENT. So I just went to the ENT. He checked my mouth and saliva out and stuck the scope down my nose and throat and said everything looks normal, he didn't see anything cancerous and that he believed whatever is going on is caused by my autoimmune disease and he prescribed me a week-long medrol/sterioid pack. My biggest problem with this is that EVERY doctor I see states my problems are due to my autoimmune disorder and truthfully this is always stated as soon as I say I have an autoimmune disorder.

But I really do feel a lump under that side of my tongue where the DENTIST said my submandibular gland is swollen. I have felt it for quite a while, just thought it was a sore or something.

So do I take the sterioid? Interesting thing is that the very night after I saw the ENT, (and $400 later) I went to a restaurant/bar. While I was telling the bartender that wine caused my gums to swell, and telling her a shortened version of everything, a lady who was having a conversation with her boyfriend suddenly stopped, looked at me and said... it sounds like a submandibular salivary gland. I had the same thing and the doctors don't know what it is! It took over a year for them to figure it out, by that time I needed surgery to remove the gland... She said her dentist and oral surgeon figured it out and it's been fixed ever since. She showed me the scar from having the gland removed. It was weird because what she said matched exactly. And just before going out I had done my research and read about salivary/submanibular glands, how ENTS don't always notice them, and how they develop stones. The lady mentioned a stone and sucking on a lemondrop... and she described exactly what I feel...

so do I go back to the dentist or go to the oral surgeon (I'll go to the one she referred me to). Or do I take the steroid to see if that helps with anything (including my red/painful toes STILL going on).

I think fate brought me to the bar - it was the weirdest thing.

Originally Posted by Joano

I guess I should consider myself lucky--I've had to help my daughter with her chore of getting the kids to their various activities after school so I've missed his show all week. His main focus all year has been weight loss--he's got a partnership with Weight Watchers going across the country.

Originally Posted by Geraldine

I started vitamins last week and every time I take vitamins (multi B) my feet get cold.

Yesterday and today I did something different. I only took methyl B12, Ester C and D3 yesterday, and then today I added zinc. My feet are not cold tonight and my mouth feels better. Can there be any link to the vitamin change that fast? (BTW in my whole history I have never taken a zinc vitamin - only multis).

Originally Posted by skboren

I'm going to try to resurrect this old thread in hopes of finding out from Geraldine whether eliminating all B vitamins except B12 continued to yield positive results. Geraldine, if you are still around, did you keep up the experiment with B vitamins and/or discover anything else about how they influence your PN?

I have this theory that possibly too much B12 might even cause PN, though I have been afraid to test it out. But it wasn't until the early 1980s that researchers discovered B6 toxicity. I am wondering whether elevated B12 could have a similar effect that has yet to be discovered.

Originally Posted by skboren

Patrick, that's interesting. Seems a lot of people's doctors have told them they don't need to take B12 after seeing their labs come back high, which makes sense. However, there's no doubt, and you would think all docs would be well aware, of B12's essential role in generating myelin! My level was 800+ and above 1000 the two times I tested.