mouth blisters

I am 33 wks pregnant and have in the last month or so developed these blister like sores on my tongue, they are differant shapes and sizes mainly on the side of my tongue. They are a whitish and have a raised red circular line around the sore.  The become painful with some foods and burn really bad when i take my vitamin at night for a few min they also become inflamed at this time. I am taking the childrens Flinstone vitamins at the suggestin of my ob dr due to nausea and vomiting when I took regular prenatal vitamins.  I asked my ob dr what he thought it could be and without even looking at it he said the only blisters on the tongue he could think of was herpies (herpes) tis was rather insulting to me so I didn't push the issue....I have worked in a number of medical clinics and now what herpies (herpes) look like. I read something on another persons page that said it could be cankersore, but I always thought that cankersores were small and had a yellowish tint to them.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

In my opinion these are canker sores. Canker sores are small shallow ulcers that appear in the mouth and often make eating and talking uncomfortable. They are generally caused by  Stress, tissue injury, eating certain foods – including citrus or acidic fruits and vegetables or underlying health condition, such as an impaired immune system; nutritional problems, such as vitamin B-12, zinc, folic acid, or iron deficiency; and gastrointestinal tract disease, such as Celiac disease and Crohn's disease.

Herpes simplex type I blisters or Cold sores or fever blisters are one and the same thing. Unlike canker sores, cold sores are caused by a virus and are extremely contagious. Also, cold sores typically appear outside the mouth – usually, under the nose, around the lips, or under the chin while canker sores occur inside the mouth.

Pain from a canker sore generally lessens in a few days and the sores usually heal without treatment in about a week or two. Avoid spicy or acidic foods during this time.

But if the sores last for more than 3 wks or start spreading then pls consult a dermatologist. In that case herpes simplex I has to be ruled out.

Take care and pls do keep us posted on how you are doing.

[dimension]

I get similar blisters from Vitamin C, especially if it is chewed.  I suggest that you ask your ob gyn to recommend a mild swallowing vitamin, preferrably with Ester-C.