constant swollen lip

mg== · Newbie Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2

hi, my upper lip has been constantly swollen for almost a year. the swelling gets worse some days and better on others but it has never completly went away and even on the good days it is pretty bad.
when i was younger i used to have hives and asthma. as i got older the hives stopped. now im twenty one and i dont know what is causing the swelling or how to relieve it. a doctor diagnosed me with angioedemia and told me to go see an allergy specialist. ive tried antihistamines, benedryl, and they dont work. the only thing i know is when i over-sleep it gets really bad. other than that i dont think the general rules of avioding nuts and pollen and other common allergens really works for me, when i do eat nuts i dont notice anything....any help you may be able to give me will be greatly appreciated

Natalia · Supporter Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 365

I would agree the condition you described is angioedema which is recognized by swelling of the lips, eyelids, throat, genitals, hands and feet. Sometimes, your tongue could also get swollen so that it could make it difficult to talk and swallow. If your mouth and throat are swollen, this could be life-threatening so you should run to your doctor for the instant help as this could make you unable to breathe properly.
There is something I want to ask you. When you say that your lips are constantly swollen for almost a year, do you mean they really are always swollen, without the swelling going away for some time and then coming back. Well, if the recurrent angioedema lasts for a long time it is called chronic angiodema, but on the other hand, if the swelling is just persistent and is never going away, this should be put under the question mark as then it might not be the case of angioedema at all. Also, if the swelling is always on the same place, for instance on your lips, then it surely is not what your doctor said. Do you have some other symptoms beside the lip swelling? How do you feel in general?
You talk with your doctor about this. You should be referred to some specialist to determine the real cause of the swelling.

mg== · Newbie Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2

hey again. Yes i mean my swollen lip has NEVER completly went away. some days are worse than others. usually if i over sleep or keep licking my lips too much it swells more but there has always been some kind of swelling since last year. If it is not allergies then what do you think it could be? my lower lip is fine and i havent had any symptoms of hives since then except that along with my lip sometimes i think one side of my tongue has hives. i dont break out in rashes or hives, and i used to have asthma. sometimes my nose runs from allergies but otherwise i feel pretty healthy. speaking of health, i am a smoker, do you think that might have something to do with it? the only things i do on a daily basis is smoke(cigarettes) and drink soda. other than that every day is different so i dont why it is constantly swollen. one day i fell asleep on the carpet because my back was sore and when i woke up (sleeping on my stomach, face down) my lip was huge. it appeared as if i had a boil or blister on it but when i looked closer and inspected it i realized it was only swollen tissue. after a couple of hours the swelling decreased to its "normal"(still swollen) size. when i drink out of a bottle it leaves the imprint of the bottle on the swollen lip for a couple of minutes. i dont know if any of this information helps but thank you for your advice.

toothfairy · Newbie Joined: 11 Jul 2008 Posts: 3

Hi.... Did you ever find out what was causing your lip to swell? Or did it finally go away? I'm curious, as I have something similar with a portion of my gums and inside cheek and no one has been able to figure it out.

jodastra · Newbie Joined: 18 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

Hey,
Are either of you smokers? Frequently drink beer or soda from cans? Think about the things that contact your lips most often. I've spent thousands trying to find out why mine is swollen. I know i suffer from metal allergies, so I'm ditching the metal cans, that includes canned fruits and vegetables, watch your buffets too, most that stuff was in a can also. Spagetti sauces,etc. Switch to glass or plastic bottles, find a toothepaste that is all natural, my lips burn after I brush with say colgate/crest ,same for deodorants. As for cigarettes,they are manufactured with machinery that is metal, and packaged in metal foil. try a cigarette holder, or start loading your own. researh some metal dermtitis posts (I.e. chromium, nickel, etc) let me know if this is helpful

constant swollen lip

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