Injuries after preventive medical checkup – Part VI
The test results from the dermatologist’s office had come back negative; no fungus on my nail or other unusual medical condition in my saliva had been found. But the uncomfortable sensations in my mouth persisted whereas the grayish-black nail started to grow out. The tingling sensations in my mouth, which I had started to feel in January, had become now burning sensations on my inner lips. Therefore I decided to use only boiled water when brushing my teeth and sterilizing my toothbrush several times in boiling hot water.
On Tuesday, 15th March 2005, I visited the dental practice from Dr. C. in Bellevue for having my teeth cleaned. I informed the dental clerk from Dr. D. of my burning sensations, too. She asked me to bring my latest dental x-rays with me. At the dental office a few dental x-rays from my frontal teeth were taken, and Dr. C. compared the ones he had taken on that day to the ones taken last year at the Lake Washington Technical College.
While I consulted with different physicians, nobody actually had confirmed any unusual medical condition in my mouth with the exception that I felt those sensations. But that changed suddenly on Thursday, 24th March.
Later that afternoon I made myself some tea with a teabag from Bigelow. It was green tea with lemon. I actually used only one teabag for a whole teapot. The water I had used had been filtered and boiled, and I had left the teabag in the teapot for not more than five minutes.
As soon I took only one sip from the tea, I felt a sudden burn. My whole mouth was burning and hurting. I looked at my tongue, which was at that moment white. Immediately, I brushed my teeth and noticed that my tongue and the back of it were covered with little pustules; the back more than the front.
Since I didn’t know what had caused this outbreak, I assumed that something had been wrong with the water. Therefore I called the city of Redmond and reported this incident. After a few phone calls a city employee told me that someone from the Redmond city department would come by my house on Monday to take a sample of my water for testing.
The next day Friday, 25th March I made an appointment with a physician at Minor & James. Since it was an emergency I received an appointment the same day with Dr. N. He confirmed that my mouth and tongue were coated and prescribed me medication for a yeast infection.
Since the symptoms of discomfort in my mouth had already started in January, but nobody of the physicians, I had spoken with, had paid more attention than doing a saliva test, at that moment I thought that something had been wrong with the water to cause this outbreak.
In the coming weeks I would experience other symptoms that were more frightening. But I’ll describe the events in chronological order. In my next posts you’ll learn more of these not everyday experiences.