Canker Sores?

[hannahm]

My name is Hannah, and I am 14. I was just recently diagnosed in October 2010 with Celiac disease, and I have been gluten free ever since. Most of my stomach pain has gone away, but I still get the occasional cramp where I always got my Celiac pain. With my case, I also got diarrhea and bad gas. Most of this has gone away, but occasionally I will relapse back into it. The one problem I always have is canker sores. I have had canker sores about the size of a dime, and they usually come in a group of 2-4. Ever since my diet, the canker sores have slowly seemed to go away, but I am very prone to getting them for other reasons. For example, I just got my braces taken off, and my retainer has caused two extremely painful sores in the past couple days. Is there anything I could take that would make me less likely to contract a sore? Or am I stuck with these for the rest of my life? Should I consult my doctor?

[Kat70R]

Hi Hanna, I too get horrible canker soars, they are so painful! swirl with salt water, it hurts a bit but really helps. Also, a bit of good probiotic yogurt every day really helps to control breakouts. I now only eat the soy yogurt as I am lactose intolerant.

Good Luck!

Kat

[Dixiebell]

Welcome to the forum hannahm.

Do your parents also eat gluten-free also? Do you share the same toaster, cookware, baking pans, cutting board, nut butters, jams, mayo, butter, etc.? If you are you could be getting cross contaiminated (CC) by the foods that they eat. Do your personal care products have gluten in them? If you are eating a lot of gluten-free processed foods you might want to cut back on them and eat naturally gluten-free foods, fruits, veggies, meats, nuts, etc. and see if that helps.

[hannahm]

Thanks guys!

Dixiebell: Actually, yes my family does use some of the same products. Would that mean my mom would have to buy a separate cookware set for gluten free food also? I do use separate peanut butter on gluten free toast roasted in the oven, but that's all.

Kat70R: I've been using salt and hydrogen peroxide periodically throughout the day, and it really has helped. I plan on continuing this until it heals

[Dixiebell]

It is recommended to have your own pots for gluten-free because the gluten from other foods can be stuck in scratches and seams. You should only need a couple of pots for your foods. And a pasta strainer. Cookie sheets can be lined with foil to prevent CC. You probably need to get your own condiments, things that a knife are dipped into, and mark them as gluten-free so everyone knows not to use them. When someone who is not gluten-free uses the butter for example, dips the knife and spreads it on their bread and dips it again to spread some more, the butter is now CC'ed. If your family puts frozen pizza or their regular bread on the oven rack that can CC you too. It is a learning curve, and most Dr.'s don't know about all this or just don't think it is important.

[Emsstacey]

I have suffered with canker sores for as long as I can remember. Mine had gotten almost continuous when I had a positive celiac panel. I read in Prevention magazine a tiny article about the benefits of sublingual B12. It stated that in a trial, 99% of people had complete remission of canker sores by taking 1000 mcg of B12 daily and sublingually. I bought some at Wal Mart for about $5 and started using it. I have not had a canker sore since and that was almost 2 years ago.

It has been a miracle for me. I think I must have been deficient and since B12 is a common deficiency for Celiac's... maybe that is why it is associated with canker sores?

Just an idea but it worked for me!

[hannahm]

That sounds like a great idea!

[hannahm]

And actually, I went to my dentist the other day. He saw the affected tissue and gave me some Peridex mouthwash, and it has really improved things too!

[cap6]

Hi Hannah ~ I had really bad canker sores before going gluten-free, as many as 8 or 9 at a time. It took awhile but since going gluten-free they are for the most part gone. Once in awhile I will get one but it never gets to the painful ulcer point. I did get a mouth wash from my dr and I believe it was called miracle mouth that was a numbing agent that really helped. But please check to be sure that it is gluten-free as I used it before going gluten-free. Good luck to you Hannah and it will get better. Honest!!!