Tongue Numbness

Question

I was diagnosed with MS nearly 4 years ago and am happy to say that I've been living with it quite well. Well enough, in fact, that this is the first time I've visited a forum such as this. I have some tingling in my right hand and right foot with some occasional coordination issues on my right side but overall live the same active lifestyle that I always have. 
Has anyone experienced any numbness or tingling on their tongue? This started a couple of days ago and I've lost 60-70% of my sense of taste. My big concern here is that cooking and just food in general is a huge hobby of mine and am responsible for all of it in our household. I don't want to even consider the prospect of losing my sense of taste for good. It would be a huge blow. 

Does anyone have any input here? Any experience to share?

Thanks in advance.

zoefromsussex · Answer

Hi, I just wanted to chip in & tell you that I've experienced tongue numbness too. It's a frequent sx for me along with numb lips but it always disappears after a while. The longest it's lasted was around a week. I didn't have any loss of taste but I had to be careful when eating as I kept biting myself! I hope your numbness disappears too. I'm sure it will but you might find it comes & goes

lloyd123 · Answer

Dear Dari,

I am new to this game and concerned about this numbness and tingling of the lips and tongue.
I have found that my exposure to wireless electrical fields makes it much worse. That means especially WIFI, cell phones, and cell phone antennas.
Of course this sounds crazy cause they are invisible, but that is what I have found.
When I leave the city and go to a less dense concentration of such frequencies, I get considerable relief.
I am now exploring all the ways I can get some distance or some buffer from these EMFs and the other tingling and burning sensations in my body
that go along with this passage.
Good Luck,
Wes

Dari1963 · Answer

This is my first time on any kind of blog site....I have been to ENT and Neurologist had many test done including MRI which was normal. I have had numbness in lips, tongue and mouth consistently since end of February 2012. I am extremely frustrated with drs. as they are unable to diagnosis why this is happening. The feeling resembles when you are coming off of novicane and can just start feeling your tongue again. This numb feeling is accentuated when I eat and drink. It doesn't matter what it is either it just gets worse. If anyone has actually gotten a diagnosis for this I would be grateful to hear about it.

Thank you and good luck to you all!
Dari

bozotheclown · Answer

of all the damn fu*king problems with my MS, THIS is the worst!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I lost the ability to write/type with my left hand - so now I can't do my old job as engineer/fire marshal ~ who cares, no real problem (so the world will suffer a bit more without my help ~ to hell with the world!). 
But this numb left side of my tongue/lips/chin sux dirty doggy di*ks! The slur is bad enough, but biting my damn tongue will put me into an uncontrollable rage - I'm so helpless and it happens without ANY FREAKING THING I CAN DO ABOUT IT. Damn it - I'm pondering having my tongue removed... seriously!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sllowe · Answer

Steveo,

Thank you for the forum compliment! :)

Congrats on the no new lesions too.  My last imaging was the same though I have new symptoms on occasion.  Most though are now chronic and I work on getting use to them.

Who else has stable MRIs but new symptoms?

steveo1010 · Answer

In answer to a few questions........no, this is the first time I've had this feeling. If it is indeed MS related it is so far the most annoying symptom I've had so far. I suppose that's both good news and bad news. Not being able to taste much is driving me absolutely crazy. I've also noticed a little facial weakness on the left side of my face. It's pretty subtle and I'm starting to wonder if I'm being hyper sensitive to anything regarding my face or mouth. I did speak with my neuro 2 days ago and he said he dosen't think it's anything MS related being that it doesn't seem to be relegated to one side of my tongue. Incidentally, I had my yearly MRI last week and I have no new legions. Yeah! Has anyone had a "favorable" new MRI but still new symptoms. Yes, sllowe, I have been on Avonex since before I was officiall dx'd. It seemed to be so obvious to my neuro in the beginning that he started me on it well before dx. Also, it does so happen that I was at the dentist a couple of weeks ago but it was just for a routine cleaning. 

All told, I am starting to believe this is MS related and just hope it goes away sooner than later!

I really appreciate everyone's input and look forward to anything anyone has to say. This is a great forum which I wish I had found earlier.

sandie490 · Answer

Hey steveo

I'm kinda new to this forum.  I've asked a lot of questions and left some comments.  How are ya?  I'm not yet diagnosed, and actually, I had a patch of numby, tingly sensations on the middle part of my tongue yesterday, and the same sensation on the middle part of the roof of my mouth.  I've have had this before, although it never lasts, but it just always comes back.  I've also had on and off the last 2 months numbness on my mouth, my lips I should say, and also my chin.  So I don't know, I guess my body is trying to tell me something, cause there are alot of other things going on aswell.
Did you have any of these sx before you were dx?  Thanks for listening!  Sandie

Deb61 · Answer

I have tongue issues when I eat or drink something cold. I cannot talk very well at all after I do this because my tongue is almost completely numb. When my mother mentioned this in passing to the neurologist when she went with me on a visit as something odd she's noticed, the neurologist said that this was an MS symptom. It's one of the oddest MS symptoms that I have had, but it makes sense that it could be related because nerves go to everywhere in the body. I also find speech a problem on occasion, when I haven't had something cold in my mouth. Now since I think of it, there have been times that I've bitten my tongue often . . .

sllowe · Answer

Hi there,

Adding on a belated welcome.  Very glad you've been able to keep doing what you love.

I wish I had more info for you ref. the loss of taste and numbness combo.  Are you wondering if it's your MS, or something else?

Either way, hope it resolves quickly!  

Are you on a DMD?

Thanks for joining us!

steveo1010 · Answer

Thank you all for the input. I'll keep this subject posted if I receive any definitive answers. 

Thanks again.

Janette2836 · Answer

Hello & welcome,
I have not be dx'd yet but I have had a numb tongue for over a year now!  I can feel and taste on the outside rim of the tongue but the rest I can not feel temps or taste or feel pain.  Be careful with hot stuff - I have burnt the roof of my mouth many times (probably burned my tongue as well but can't feel it to know  :)  Hopefully your taste will come back soon.  If not - maybe your sence of smell will allow you to continue enjoying your hobby of cooking.
Take care & stay around this forum - it is a good place for sharing such things & we will probably understand what you are going through.

Janette

Mand125 · Answer

Hi there

I have had tongue numbness on one side which probably lasted a couple of weeks. The major problem with it was that I kept biting it!

Mand

shermay · Answer

Hello there!

I had a numb tonge which lasted aboout 3 week.  Had to be careful drinking hot tea and coffee because I couldn't feel it!

Debs

Wobbly · Answer

I'm not yet Dx...but my left side of my lips go numb at times...and the tip of my tongue seems funny at times too...not sure why all this happens though.

wobbly
undx

jensequitur · Answer

I've had tongue numbness, but it passed after a couple of months.  One of the more annoying symptoms was my lip going numb - I kept biting it accidentally.

Udkas · Answer

Hi and welcome to the MS Forum,

Everyone here is such a friendly bunch, it is a great place to be to share, question and not feel alone with  our problems.  We also have a bunch of health pages that have been written up that if you click on the right hand corner at the top of this page, the yellow button you will find them.

As for your tongue numbness I can relate!  Not pleasant at all.  I had tongue numbness that lasted for a bit over a month, it was just there all the time, I did wonder in my case if it was caused by migraine headaches as I had a bad headache with it too but my neuro reckons that I have a lesion in my brainstem and this spot can cause the tongue symptoms I was describing.  I found at the same time I had some facial numbness and tingling as well.  My tongue tingled as well at times.  I went to my GP and he said it was not migraine but I never did see my neuro but have noted it to discuss at my next appointment.  I am pleased to report my tongue is back to normal now but when all my other symptoms flare it seems to return.

Take care,
Cheers,
Udkas.

borntolose102 · Answer

Hi Steve, that happened to me some eight years ago or so. I had my left side of my body go dead- numbness, i was blind in my left eye, i was deaf in my left ear, half of my thingy was numb (pretty sad..haha); but my whole tongue was numb. i could not taste anything and it drove me crazy. I had this going on for roughly a month. I recall going to the gym and i had a cane and then after the infusion everything came back. My tongue still plays tricks on me and it stinks so why I have no idea what to say with the exception of hang in there. Best to you..