Erythema Multiforme: Caring for a Mucosa Outbreak

If you suffer from Erythema Multiforme, you know that this immune disorder can effect several different body systems, including the interior lining of the mouth, or the mucosa. An outbreak of blisters, followed by ulcerous lesions coats the interior of the mouth, tongue, lips and gums making it difficult to speak or eat.

Serious outbreaks should be monitored by hospital care, but if your family doctor or dermatologist has recommended for you to stay home while you recover, these tips will help make the recovery period more comforting. Please note, I am not a doctor, but a patient recently diagnosed with Erythema Multiforme. I write from my personal experiences with this immune disorder. Please consult a physician with medical questions.

Erythema Multiforme: Keep the Mouth Moist

When you have an outbreak of Erythema Multiforme in the mouth, your lips will be swollen, making it difficult to fully close your mouth. Since air can freely flow in and out of your mouth, the ulcers on your tongue and blisters on your lips may get dry and crack, causing severe pain.

I have found that holding a moist towel up to my mouth, and breathing through the cloth helps keep the interior of my mouth moist. For three weeks, I kept a moist towel with me. When I wasn't using the towel, I covered my lips with petroleum jelly to keep them hydrated. Regular lip balms were too stiff and difficult to apply to the tender skin on my lips.

Erythema Multiforme: Keep the Mouth Clean

I felt that the best way to allow my mouth to heal, was to keep it clean. Although the cleaning process itself was painful, the hours of having a clean mouth afterwards was well worth the pain. During a mucosa outbreak of Erythema Multiforme, it is not uncommon to have pooling blood and infection in your mouth. Routinely spitting into a tissue can help reduce the bad taste. However, every few hours, it is best to go into the bathroom, and over a sink, carefully clean your mouth. I used water dampened cotton swabs to remove dried blood from my lips and infection from my tongue. If your doctor has prescribed an oral steroid rinse (it hurts terribly) this will also help clean the excess blood and infection from your mouth, while it heals the ulcers. If your outbreak is not very severe, you may be able to tolerate a warm water swish to break up and remove excess blood and infection.

Erythema Multiforme: Stay Hydrated and Nourished

Since an outbreak of Erythema Multiforme in the mouth is extremely painful, it can be difficult to eat or speak. However, it is important to stay nourished and hydrated during your recovery. If you simply can't ingest anything, you need to go to the doctor or emergency room so they can start an IV to hydrate your body. At one point during my last outbreak, water burned too much to drink. After a few days of absolutely no liquids or foods, it was time to get an IV of fluids. However, if your outbreak will allow you to still ingest liquids, opt for nutritional shakes and supplement drinks. I used Boost, Slim Fast and Ensure. These drinks are fortified with extra calories, nutrients and vitamins.

Erythema Multiforme: Get Prescription Liquid Painkillers

If over the counter pain killers aren't helping ease your discomfort, ask your doctor for prescription medications. I used viscous lidocaine to numb my mouth (although it only lasts 20 minutes at a time) and took liquid vicodin for the pain. If you doctor prescribes a pill, ask if there is a liquid form. It is much easier to take liquid medications than pills during a mucosa outbreak of Erythema Multiforme.