Coping with oral ulcers and sore throat.

The main reason why I started this blog and my twitter account @sgpozsterboy was to share to experience as a gay man living with HIV. I hope that in sharing my experiences, people like me will know that they are not alone and will also learn ways of coping with the annoyance that may crop up from time to time.


Prior to starting my medication, I frequently suffer from multiple oral ulcers and at times some of these ulcers can develop on the oropharynx, soft palate, uvula or the palatine tonsil. 


See here: http://theslowdog.com/speech-pathology/anatomy-of-the-oral-cavity/


They make swallowing, (I'm referring to food) extremely difficult and painful. So I developed my regime to cope with it over the years. The method I use basically only treats the condition symptomatically because believe the cause to be viral in nature. In other words, I am unable to treat the root cause so I only treat it by 


1) killing the pain and discomfort
2) maintaining high oral hygiene to prevent secondary infections


If the pain is mild, I will just gargle my mouth with Difflam with Benzydamine which kills the pain but leaves a rather rubbery feeling in the mouth after use. I also find that it affects the taste buds so if you gargle with this before a meal, you can be sure that the meal tastes rather ... bland. 

In occasions where the ulcers make it extremely excruciating to swallow, I will take Nurofen. The reason why I used this painkiller was because I find that the common panadol or paracetamol does little to kill the pain. Nurofen is an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) so it also reduces inflammation. 

To help ulcers heal faster, I use ORACOT E paste. This is a steriod paste which contains a painkiller. I usually apply this after a meal after brushing my teeth and gargling and before I sleep. This paste seals the ulcers up and promotes healing. Together with its painkilling ingredients, it feels like magic after every application. The pain just simply disappears.

I decide what to use based on how painful the ulcers are. As far as possible, I try not to take too much Nurofen (though they actually work the best) because I have this fear that taking too much of it will wreak my liver and kidneys which are important to me when I eventually start medication.  I am just paranoid. I also remember that I must have enough sleep and keep stress level low whenever possible because I noticed that whenever I do not get enough sleep or when I am stressed, those annoying ulcers come back to haunt me.


Since starting medication, I have not used any of these at all because there has been no recurrence of of ulcers. 


ORACORT E and Nurofen can be bought from Guardian or Watson's but you will need the pharmacist to be there. 


I have to reiterate that the methods I have mentioned here worked for me and I experienced no side effects so far. However, it is good to discuss with your doctor before self-medicating.


Hope this helps.