Tongue bite for two weeks! A beginners tale...

[OSOBUCO]

Hi All, I am new to the board but have been lurking. Although I used to occasionally smoke cigars and a pipe in the 90s (usually on fishing trips to Quetico) I am certainly a beginner as I have not partook for a good 20 years. Well I am back to smoking and I am enjoying it much better than I remember. My tastebuds have aged and are no longer as sensitive and the flavors of tobacco paired with a rye whisky are beautiful. Anyway, I started up a couple months ago and enjoyed an Artuo Fuente or a bowl of cavendish or another blend on the weekends. Everything was good until that fateful night on Dec 17, a mere two weeks ago. As I was sitting at my computer enjoying a High West Manhattan and a bowl of Stokkebye Pistacio I became bewitched by the the flavors and the smoke and the glow of my computer as I surfed youtube listening to classic rock from my youth. One Manhattan led to another and I repacked several bowls in one sitting. From Star of the East to the Nutty Irishman I was in heaven. I ended with B&B and one final bowl. It was wonderful. Well, on to Saturday and I noticed typical dry mouth but nothing major but by the evening my throat and tongue was tingling and becoming sore. Sunday morning and I had a sore throat like there was no tomorrow. By monday I had white sore spots on my throat which was otherwise blazing red and my tongue was in pain. On Tuesday it was a little better but by wednesday my throat was worse and tonsils were inflamed so I started an antibiotic. Things very slowly started to improve and I was tempted by fate the day after Christmas and had a bowl of Stokkebye Nougat with my coffee. I made it halfway through and the bite ensued this time encompassing my lips as well. I am using Biotene and things are much improved. I have only one sore spot left (after two weeks) and I am itching to get back on the horse but I will wait until it heals up completely. Anyway, my mistake? Smoking too much, too fast with alcohol to boot. What a rookie huh? LOL. I need to sip and improve my packing for sure. I was relighting with a lighter and will switch to matches from now on. I hope to enjoy a bowl this weekend but I will be much more careful. I have read a lot about tongue bite, some say allergic reaction, some say chemical burn, some say steam burn. For me I think this was entirely chemical burn. I am a PhD chemist and work in drug discovery. I have been burned by acids, bases and caustic agents and this has the hallmarks of such an insult and likely a bit of my body reacting harshly as well. It came on slowly over a couple days so it was absolutely not thermal in nature. Also, the lesions were not blisters. Anyway, so ends this chapter of my tale. Any advice from the pros here would be most welcome. Peace - osobuco

 

[OSOBUCO]

OH - and I think I may have ended up with a secondary infection to the bite as my improvement hastened when I started the antibiotic. Could also be coincidence.

 

[Grangerous]

If the spots you refer to are a white dot surrounded by red, that’s an inflamed salivary gland. Google “smokers pallet” and look at the images. Usually on the roof of your mouth. If so, stop until things return to normal again. Repeated trauma will only see them worsen.

 

[OSOBUCO]

Thanks Granger - I did have a couple ducts inflamed but the the white stuff was sort of like patches of snow - irregular edges and localized to soft palate. Could that be salivary? Either way I do not want this to happen again. I was looking forward to several bowls over the holidays - I will ease my way back into things and practice packing and sipping

 

[bullet08]

Yeah. Step back and easy off till things return to normal. Sounds little more than simple tongue bite.

 

[Chasing Embers]

You can cut back on the burn of a damp aromatic by using a pipe with a larger chamber. Gravity fill the tobacco and use little pressure when tamping so that more oxygen can get in to the tobacco to aid the ember so you don't have to rev up the heat with vigorous puffing to keep the fire going.

 

[OSOBUCO]

I got back on the horse last night with a bowl of 1:1 black cavendish blended with Star of the East. I used the swirl method to pack and put a filter in my savinelli Monsieur and went very slow. I made it through most of the bowl with a dozen or so relights with matches. A little bite but not much and just a tingle today. My mouth wasn't quite healed and i felt it on my hard palate more than tongue. I think it was from all the relights but not sure. Today I just smoked a half bowl of PS English Luxury in my churchwarden and it was lovely - no bite even with a number of relights. I may stick with my churchwarden until I get this down but I have smoked shorties before without significant bite. I've so much to learn.

 

[FLDRD]

Sadly I've had a similar experience.
I'm convinced the alcohol (scotch) not only removed some of my palate "protection", but also prevented me from noticing the abuse along the way. Gave it a few days off and the white patches of irritation went away. Also used my churchwardens more afterward until I was feeling more confident about going back to the shorter pipes, really did make a difference too.
I've become much more careful of the spirit / tobacco combo. I don't have as much issue with beer or wine while smoking but sometimes the alcohol just waits until after the smoke. And its amazing how much easier water, tea or similar is on those delicate tissues when smoking ...

 

[Streeper541]

I think you're sucking on it wrong. ?

Glad you're better though and getting back into the swing of things.

 

[OSOBUCO]

I think you're sucking on it wrong. ?

That’s what she said. Sorry I couldn’t resist ?

 

[Dudditz]

Well...you don't own the patent on this issue. Been there, done that as they say. (not with such horrific results however) The good part is that it sounds like you figured out the issue and are already on the path to recovery.

The booze and chugging like a steam engine will get anyone in some kinda trouble. Slow it down, sip the pipe...(the booze...well...) and as already noted, some water and/or tea will also work once in a while until you are back up to 100% I hope all works out for you!!! ?

 

[anotherbob]

how big are the patches and are they hard or soft?

 

[OSOBUCO]

how big are the patches and are they hard or soft?

They were soft. Irregular. Biggest was pea sized

 

[PipeIT]

If it wasn’t mention, everyone can possibly find themselves sensitive to various blends, I believe Red Virginias to be the worst of the bunch, given their PH balance.

The PH balance is a real thing, in how a blend can bite.

When in doubt dry it out, even crispy to the touch if you pinch a clump, when you’re either uncertain, or you want to be cautious of bite.

Just experiment and keep your tabac on the drier side when pinching it, to test for moisture, which should be very little stick to it, or dry.

This seems to be a good article;

Why Does My Tongue Hurt After I Smoke My Pipe? - Clark Davis

The short answer is the dreaded tongue bite. Tongue bite is generally described as a condition caused by pipe smoking that results in a sore, tender or irritated tongue. It’s not limited to the tongue, however, as other oral tissues can be affected.

clarkdavis.me