Treating a bitten tongue - epilepsy

What more can be said (if you can say that)! I've suffered with seizures for many years and by far the worst and slowest part to get over, once you've made it through your tonic clonic (formerly grand mal) seizure is the bitten tongue. Not everyone experiences this and the severity varies but for me personally, when it's bad it's bad! 

About ten days ago I was unfortunate enough to suffer three very big tonic clonic seizures in nine hours leaving me hospitalized for a further two days. During this time the bruising subsides and the aches and weaknesses lesson slowly but surely, you remain grateful that you only managed to hurt yourself in bits here and there even when you've grazed most of the skin off your face! But all this time your tongue is getting worse!

If you've experienced this you will know that there really isn't much to describe it, despite a massive, intense and strict oral hygiene regime your tongue will ulcerate. You will notice chunks missing from it. People will say " let me see " then pull a face and wish they'd never asked! If you haven't had the pleasure of biting bits off your own tongue then I want you to try something ( none painful I promise) say any sentence of your choice and concentrate on how often your tongue moves, twists and changes direction. Now consider or attempt having something to eat and/or drinking through a straw, how do you use your tongue? Lastly try all of those WITHOUT moving your tongue! How did it work out for you?

There is no easy answer to this and I have always relied on a mixture on things to help with the healing. The tongue is amazing and will heal fast and reform itself (to some extent) within a few weeks. So here are my tips some will sting but doesn't everything right now? You've been warned but it is worth it. Most doctors will struggle to find anything strong enough to help you eat and talk which is why I think a mixture is necessary, remember to always check the labels and be sure that you have no allergies etc I am not a doctor just an epileptic that understands the pain.

• as soon as you have come round and feel able, eat. You should eat what you can before ulcers form and make it too painful, also drink plenty.
• brush your teeth and tongue as best as you can as soon as you are aware enough. Get rid of as many germs as possible. This is best achieved by also using a strong mouth wash such as oraldene or listerene. If you have any use Difflam as it contains an anesthetic too if you don't have any get some they do a spray version too that you should get (doctors will often prescribe this). Mouth wash will without doubt sting! but think long term!

• Get some dispersible painkillers, these are good as they can sink into the wounds helping a little with the pain. I use these for the first week cutting down as I go.
• Get yourself some Oraljel (blue) it's an adult bonjela type substance with strong numbing powers like nothing else i've found, it's available over the counter (like pretty much everything I mention) and becomes a complete necessity over the really painful days ( I often find those bad days to be 2-3 days after the seizure itself). Use this carefully as it can make some people feel sick when over used and believe me you will overuse it.
• Continue to use the mouthwash as often as possible, this will also be the best thing to use when you begin to feel your tongue healing to the inside of your mouth. I keep some by my bed at night, I also have nocturnal seizures and often bite my tongue again (though not so severely) and this helps keep on top of it.
• Try to talk as little as possible. It is best to try and eat if you can, even if the food is mashed or you stick to yoghurts and similar products. I often can't eat at all during days 3-6 and so rely on drinking a mixture of juices and nourishment drinks ( fortisips are good for this)

Keep doing all these things and even when all seems lost one morning you will wake up and realise that you might manage a few spoons of food and you are no longer speaking like a dribbling machine. Even with my most severe bites doing all of these has meant that I can eat and talk almost normally within eight or nine days and completely healed in around a fortnight.

Well I wish you all luck and hope that you enjoy my gross pictures from my recent tongue biting action, feel free to share your stories or pictures too. Is there anything that you use that I haven't mentioned on here?