# Yellow tongue and itchy throat



## LisaT (Oct 28, 2002)

Wondering if anyone out there has suggestions....my 16 yo daughter suddenly has a yellow-ish tongue and an itchy throat to boot. She has good oral hygiene, no medications and has had no recent illnesses. I have never seen this before and never heard of anyone who has. 

Not sure if I should take her in, we already have medical bills up the wazoo and we always prefer alternative methods first, as they are usually successful!

No other symptoms really. She is feeling overall well and her color is normal (not jaundice).

Thanks for any help!
LisaT (RN)


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2005)

Could the yellow tongue be from something she ate? Try having her gargle with warm salt water for the scratching.


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## LisaT (Oct 28, 2002)

Nope, nothing she has eaten. This has been going on now for about 4-5 days and so far, she can't brush it off her tongue with a toothbrush, we've upped her 15-strain probiotics to 2 caps/2X a day and she has gargled with everything from salt water to Listerine to colloidal silver. Nothing has helped. Hmmmm....anyone?


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

Maybe Thrush? I looked up the images, and I'd post them here but well, they're kinda gross to be honest. I'm sure they are of rather extreme cases but , yea.
https://www.google.com/search?q=thr...nWyQGppoCYAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=585

Click at your own risk. 
Here's a page with treatment suggestions. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001650/#adam_000626.disease.treatment


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

It certainly sounds like yeast.

I would rinse her mouth and gargle with vinegar several times a day for a couple of days. If it doesn't go away she needs to go into doctor for some nystatin. It is yeast growing, commonly called thrush. It can be hard to get rid of too. My granddaughter has gone through 3 rounds of nystatin, and still it comes back at times.
Cutting down on sugar intake helps, and eating fewer carbs. Plus it is important to keep the mouth rinsed well after eating. Toothpaste has a lot of sugar in it, so just rinsing with water or water and vinegar works a bit better than brushing with toothpaste too often. And only use a pea-sized glop of toothpaste, not a big squiggly snake all across the brush.

Also, yeast can grow on the skin, especially near the genitals. It comes out as icky looking blisters. That little fungus can be nasty. And, of course, if in doubt, a trip to the doctor is always the best idea.


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2005)

http://www.sharecare.com/question/what-causes-yellow-tongue

The mouthwash may be aggravating it, whatever it is. One site said to brush with peroxide, the one I posted seems to contradict that. Stock up on cheap toothbrushes from the dollar store and have her change them often.

This time of year my family gets scratchy throats from allergies but not yellow tongues. If you figure it out please let us know, I'm really curious. My dd gets white bags of pus on the far back sides of her throat when she is sick.


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2005)

Mono can start mild with a yellow tongue. It is making the rounds here. Probably not it but keep an eye on her.

Thrush can become quite painful after a mild start and the coating cannot be brushed off of the tongue so those who mentioned it may be onto something.


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2005)

http://printer-friendly.adam.com/content.aspx?productId=117&pid=1&gid=000591&c_custid=758


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## amandaleigh (Apr 10, 2013)

I agree with those who think that it may be yeast. Don't just think that it is a simple yeast infection and ignore it. My husband is very suspectible to yeast in his mouth and throat due to having to take large amounts of antibiotics. The first time that he got thrush, he ignored it, thinking his throat was just agravated from a cold. He ended up with yeast all the way down his esophagus and it took months to get it mostly clear using an anti-fungle pill, nystatin mouth wash, and drastic diet changes.


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## charmd2 (Apr 14, 2011)

If it is yeast genetian violet painted in her mouth a few times a day for a week should clear it up. That's how we clear up thrush in babies in this neck of the woods. And mommies nipples.


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## LisaT (Oct 28, 2002)

OK, I'm back!

Well, after 2 doses of Diflucan from the nurse practitioner, no change. So, even though I thought it was yeast too, it wasn't. 

Soooo.....found out that this yellow tongue thing can be attributed to a number of different things: mono (ruled that one out pretty quickly because she didn't have the severe fatigue, fever or any other symptom), liver problems or a bacterial or viral infection. Also, she tends to be quite acidic and I found out that a yellow tongue can be a result of accumulation of bacterial and fungal accumulation due to acidic saliva. 

She remembers having some painful lymph nodes in her neck a few days prior, so we were going with the bacterial thing. Found a recipe to help get her pH back in check : 1/2 tsp baking soda + 1/8 tsp. potassium bicarbonate + 1 drop of Lugol's solution all in 1/2 glass water 2X/day. Poor girl was a good sport getting that down!

Plus, I had her brush her tongue with the soda, the potassium bicarb and a couple drops of Lugol's made into a paste. All this and a heavy duty dose of probiotics morning and night!! WORKED GREAT!!!! We have a nice normal healthy pinkish tongue again and a very happy girl 

Thanks so much for all your replies!!!


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## [email protected] (Feb 24, 2005)

Thanks for the update. I learned something new.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

Did they check her blood sugar? I cannot stress this enough warning bold words ahead 
*anyone over the age of 2 should never ever have thrush!! Ever!! If they develope thrush their blood sugars are too high and can lead to comas and brain damage*
Ok now I'm done with my loud voice. I know this first hand my niece at the age of 9 had a thrush rash on her tounge and lips and was given nystatin. Thrush medication. The next day she collapsed and went in to seizures and had to be air lifted. There was a very smart Dr at the Er that knew immediately what to look at! Praise God he did. Her blood sugar was 900 she was never diagnosed as a diabetic we never knew. She never had any symptoms except the yeast issues. 
Have her lay off all carbs and sugar and see how she is in a week.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

myheaven said:


> Did they check her blood sugar? I cannot stress this enough warning bold words ahead
> *anyone over the age of 2 should never ever have thrush!! Ever!! If they develope thrush their blood sugars are too high and can lead to comas and brain damage*
> Ok now I'm done with my loud voice. I know this first hand my niece at the age of 9 had a thrush rash on her tounge and lips and was given nystatin. Thrush medication. The next day she collapsed and went in to seizures and had to be air lifted. There was a very smart Dr at the Er that knew immediately what to look at! Praise God he did. Her blood sugar was 900 she was never diagnosed as a diabetic we never knew. She never had any symptoms except the yeast issues.
> Have her lay off all carbs and sugar and see how she is in a week.


Adults can get thrush very easily from inhaled corticosteroids (like Advair) and have no problem with blood sugar. You _can_ get it as a side effect from uncontrolled blood sugar but that is not the only cause.


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## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

Probiotics? Some doctors suggest they might be helpful for people prone to fungal infections... or even people who are not. Not really "cheap" but more like taking "food" than a "drug". Just a thought.


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