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Recurring blue tongue late evening or when first waking up
My wife has been experiencing a somewhat random but recurring issue where her tongue turning blue late at night when she is laying on her couch watching tv and then again first thing in the morning. O2 level via finger sensor are fine (mid 90’s), no pain or tingling sensation, her lips and extremities are normal color and once she’s awake and active the tongue returns to its normal color. No other symptoms such as shortness of breath etc (she works out an hour every morning without issue). Vascular surgeon referral was a bust, we are 3 months out from seeing an ENT specialist. She is not consuming anything “blue”, could it be an issue with her lingual artery or low BP? She has been taking a Chinese herb for BP support?
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Additional info: Age 63 will have CBC lab work next week, she also has some tinnitus and vertigo issues.
@wilmachado it sounds to me an interaction with the Chinese herb. I would stop taking the herb for a few days to see if that make a difference, and if it doesn’t perhaps she should see her primary care physician. Also, the scheduled bloodwork may shed some light on this unusual situation.
Liquid antacids like Maalox and Mylanta will also turn a person's tongue dark with long-term use.. I had a roommate in college who had this happen; she took alot of Maalox.
Thanks however she started taking the herbs on the advice of a practitioners to respond to the blue tongue issue, Agree CBC results may shed some light, Very frustrating we can’t get in to see an ENT until December.
Thanks, antacids are not part of this puzzle.
Is anyone familiar with polycythemia (too many red blood cells) which can cause blue tongue? Medication or frequent blood withdrawals to deal with that?
@wilmachado every doctor’s office recommends heading to an Emergency department if a condition worsens …
Here are a couple of websites I came across that might explain the blue tongue …
https://plantationsmiles.com/dental-conditions/why-is-my-tongue-blue-when-i-wake-up/
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24600-tongue-color
OK. CBC panel was run in March and all value were within normal ranges, nothing unusual
I apparently can’t paste a photo here or I would show you what her tongue looks like….”blue streak down the middle”