Piper In Trouble: Need Some Feedback

[shaintiques]

Posting this for one of my pipe smoking buddies. He said when he smokes a pipe, cigar, or cigarette this happens. And as a result is considering quitting the pipe all together despite his love for it. He has been smoking for 2 years, but this has been his experience for the last year. "My tongue gets these little white bumps/sores on the right side mostly and sometimes on the left and is a little tender after. Sometimes the back of my throat gets a little sore too. I can't taste stuff as well. It doesn't seem like I'm burning my tongue. It seems like something more chemical/body chemistry related."
Any thoughts guys?

 

[monty55]

At first it sounded like tongue bite because I have had those white bumps as well, but only with tongue bite and when I slowed down or changed pipes it quit. But if he has other issues perhaps it's more. What kind of tobacco does he smoke? Aero, English, Vir/Per? It could be possible that he has built up an allergic reaction to an ingredient, hopefully not something that is common to all tobacco. Perhaps a casing or topping or is it Latakia, or even Perique. I would suggest changing tobacco, and experimenting, and doing it with a bunch of new cobs. Whatever it is, it is probably at concentration in a briar bowl at this point and he will react no matter what he smokes. He would have to use a new pipe for each kind of tobacco for the experiment to have an optimal outcome. And even then, perhaps he's become allergic to briar wood. :|
Sorry I don't have answers Dave, just suggestions.

 

[loneredtree]

I have had an irritation at the back of the throat with one tobacco of a class that does not bother me. I tried varying the pipe and moisture to no effect. I finally traded it off. It was probably something in the process or a leaf that I am allergic to. He should try different types of leaf ( VA, Burly, Orientals) or blend styles.

 

[mso489]

People have allergies, are susceptible to toxins at levels others aren't, or just smoke too fast. If I were him, I'd quit for a while.

Let things heal. Then, if he is still interested, start back with very mild tobacco, Carter Hall or 1Q, and smoke it slow and not

for prolonged times, and see if that works. It's like food you love, but that doesn't agree with you. I love Italian food with red

sauce, but I have to precede or follow it with Zantac or something similar. So I can'd do much of it. As Dirty Harry says, a man

has to know his limits.

 

[natenice1]

I've smoked a pipe and cigarettes and cigars, but I am no physician but in college my roommate chewed tobacco not dip Red Man and WTH it was cheap after a week the same thing happened to me not from pipes and cigarettes just Red Man. This would never happen today saw an old I mean old physician in upstate NY he said you are allergic to Red Man, switch brands so I chewed Beech Nut for a year, never happened but the cavities sure did! It is very possible that it is an allergy, but what Dr. Is going to tell you to experiment with different tobacco products! :crazy:

 

[necron99]

Hate to be a fly in the ointment but he may should quit. He could be allergic.

 

[hawke]

Smokers are more likely to develop oral thrush

Thrush
Could be thrush, I get it at times due to diabetes and immune system deficiencies.

Its a simple yeast infection like women get Same treatments work; IE: Yogurt.
How to Get Rid of Thrush

 

[escioe]

If I had something like that every time I smoked, I'd find a new hobby.

 

[tuold]

Time for your friend to make an appointment for a medical checkup. Those symptoms can be caused by a lot of different conditions.

 

[phil67]

Pretty simple answer to this concern as it relates to your friend. Tell him to see a doctor and not seek medical advice on a forum site.

 

[cortezattic]

phil67 has it 100% right. Why the heck would anybody accept medical advice from a bozo like me?

I can tell you this, reliably: what he describes is not normal.

 

[murf]

When I first started out, I packed way too hard, puffed way too fast. Packing tight made it so I had to pull hard on the pipe to keep it lit. And it would make my throat sore from the action of pulling on the pipe.
Your friend should probably go see a doctor, but I would guarantee that the doc will tell him to give up smoking.

 

[andystewart]

+1 phil67 and Cortez but for what it's worth I agree with Hawke - it certainly sounds like oral thrush. There are OTC remedies and homeo stuff (yoghurt) that will clear it in no time, but it's the maintenance that is key if he is pre-disposed to that particular malady.
Andy

 

[edgreen]

I had the same thing. It was so bad sometimes that I could barely speak or swallow. Turns out it was the limes in the lime water I drank everyday. The smoking may be an irritant instead of the cause.

 

[numbersix]

Phil is right - ask the doc. It could be that his diet needs work - maybe too acidic, etc. Too many carbs - which is aggravated when smoking.
FWIW I stopped drinking beer years ago due to stomach problems (even after one beer). I later learned that my system was too acidic (too many carbs, juices, etc) but now that I've addressed that problem, I can happily consume beer. Not saying it's the same thing of course, but diet could the root cause and exacerbate the problem.
Also, does it only occur when smoking? i.e. did he have the problem before taking up the pipe? Did he introduce a new habit around the same time as the pipe? Does he drink carbonated bevs while smoking?
One thing I would suggest is switching from briar to a meer or cob to see if there's some allergic reaction (or vice versa if say, for ex., he's only using cobs). And maybe try a variety of different tobacco blends to see if one could be causing the problem.
And finally, try switching to matches since they don't burn as hot.
(I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV)

 

[claypipesarchaeologist]

I have the same issue with my tongue. If I smoke often enough, it'll start to look almost like a strawberry and burns when I brush my teeth. My tongue never feels too great when I brush my teeth after smoking, but reducing how frequently I smoke has eliminated the strawberry tongue and significantly lowers its sensitivity.
I don't get throat issues, but if I unintentionally inhale too much, I can get an earache. I think a doctor will tell you to quit no matter what's going on, but it never hurts to ask. I find the internet to be more useful than my doctors when it comes to questions like this, though.

 

[davidintexas]

Trailboss, I was the OP on the first link you posted. As it turns out, the bumps at the back of my tongue were nothing more than my taste buds. Why they were raised up like they were, to the point that I noticed it when I swallowed, is only conjecture. I first noticed it on the way to work after having drunk a cup of coffee from a can that had been open for a long time that a neighbor had given us. We had run out of our normal brew. So, it may have been from that, but not necessarily. I did go to the doctor, and he did not believe it was an issue to worry about, and said that the bumps did not look serious and could have been caused by anything. This after I told him that I smoked a pipe a couple of times a week. He did not even caution me about smoking a pipe. Only said that if it persisted I might stop smoking for a week or so and see if it improved. I don't even believe the doc stated that these bumps were my taste buds. I asked my dentist several weeks later, and she ID'd them positively as my taste buds. I asked her if they're suppose to be so visible and raised at times, and she said her's were like that at times. I had just never noticed them before as I don't look at the very back of my tongue, and only noticed a swollen feeling that one time I mentioned. They have never been sore, though. So, bottom line, it probably would be the best thing to check with your doc and see if your bumps are your taste buds or not.

 

[phred]

Shaintiques - does your buddy tend to clench more on the right? I've had an uptick in swollen taste buds recently after switching the tobacco that I smoke during my lunchtime lunting - finished off the Captain Black, went on to a Creme Brulee aro, and BAM! Took a couple of days off, things subsided, had a bowl of Escudo with no problem (whew!), but I'm still giving it a little while before I try the Creme Brulee again to verify the effect.
If your buddy isn't absolutely positive that they're swollen taste buds (I've had a lot of them, so I know what they look and feel like), he should seek medical advice. Heck, even if he is absolutely positive, it wouldn't hurt to have things checked if they're just now kicking up after 2 years...