I'm pretty sure this is not how radiation poisoning works, but I thought I'd ask. So, starting in April 2011, I developed a painful canker sore on my inner lip. It was much larger and more painful than the few that I had in my youth, and it lasted about 10 days. I didn't think much of it, until another one showed up a few days after that, and so began a pattern that has lasted almost 2 years. Currently I have three-two of them are on top of each other. These make my lips swell up to Mick Jagger-like proportions at times.

These are excruciatingly painful and inhibit eating, drinking and kissing. I have tried eliminating stress, spicy foods, and citrus from my diet, but nothing works. Doctors are at a loss. I have tested negative for HIV and celiac. For a while, they were concerned, because I'd lost about 10% of my body weight in 6 months and had excessive flatulence, but there is no abdominal pain and a scan of my internal organs showed no abnormalities or tumors.

One doctor declared the sores "viral", and prescribed mouth-numbing medicine (which I have to appy before I eat), but no one has been able to diagnose or treat the problem.

The only thing I can point to is that I was in Seattle on a job interview on March 20, 2011 and I did get rained on quite a bit. Is it possible I got Fukushima radiation in my mouth, or is that crazy? I also passed through Japan about a year later, but was only in Narita airport in Tokyo, and only for a couple of hours.

Any information anyone can give me would be great, and mods, please move this thread if necessary. Thanks.

H, i have no suggestions particulaly, but by the sounds of things you have travelled enough to have picked this up anywhere...
My suggestion is to ask a Vietnam medic vetran or other expert in tropical type infections?
Perhaps your doc doesnt know about this but somebody more familiar with asiatic and tropical stuff might...??
just sayin...

I don't know what is causing it but I do know that taking lysine which is an amino acid can help with them, it can shorten the duration, and I've heard that taking it regularly has stopped some people who get them regularly from getting them.

I went through a very stressful period in my life some time ago and I started getting canker sores constantly and multiple sores at a time. It was strictly due to stress, once I eliminated the stress the sores stopped

I had very good luck taking lysine to ease them a bit, and have found it even helps when you bite your cheek creating a sore.

Originally posted by Pixiefyre
I don't know what is causing it but I do know that taking lysine which is an amino acid can help with them, it can shorten the duration, and I've heard that taking it regularly has stopped some people who get them regularly from getting them.

^^ This ^^

I used to get these sores all the time. Now I only get one once every few years when I forget to take my lysine. I take lysine every day with my regular multivitamin and it really does prevent mouth sores!

I would also look into the Crohn's angle though as it sounds like it might be your diagnosis. In the meantime, taking lysine can't hurt; it's a harmless amino acid protein.

Thank you all. I am going to see a gastrointesinologist soon. I will also pick up some lysine.
And to paraphrase Arnold Schwartzenegger in Kindergarten Cop: "It's not a herpie!"

Strawberries give me those as well as pineapple. Haven't had a sore in years since I gave them up.