Fat Lip

[davebro]

First time ever I have woken up with seriously swollen upper right lip. Have I punched myself or bitten it in my sleep or could it be a sign of something else?

Will try an ice pack later.

[Sqad]

No big deal.....nothing sinister, you have probably had one side of your face in an abnormal position.

Ice pack is a good idea.

[barry1010]

You may have been nibbled by some insect, if you have an antihistamine in the house take it - it won't do any harm

[davebro]

I was thinking it may be a spider bite - spread right across now.

[davebro]

got lots of old meds - but no anti-histamines.

[tiggerblue10]

Could it be an ulcer?

[barry1010]

Ice pack is still good for insect bites, if it's painful take ibuprofen and monitor the situation

:D

[Sqad]

barry ;-)

[davebro]

I think a purely mechanical cause can be excluded as the swelling has now gradually extended along 1/2 of the lower lip. I have started taking piriton & felt like having a couple of extended naps through the day. Very odd...

[Sqad]

Very odd, I think barry @ 09.19 may be on the mark.

[davebro]

Update - after 3 Piriton (max dose 6 in 24 hours) the swelling is subsiding & I can now eat & drink more normally. Hopefully gone by tomorrow. Thanks for the advice!

[Sqad]

Well played.

[237SJ]

Sounds like a very, very mild anaphylaxis reaction to something.

[davebro]

//very, very mild//

Haha - I looked like Mick Jagger's grandad this morning!

[LadyCG]

It sounds like lip angioedema. It happens commonly in the night and so one tends to discover it on waking. It can occur unilaterally or bilaterally.

Antihistamines are the mainstay of treatment but a common finding is low Vitamin D and / or low folate. There are other triggering factors - Ibuprofen use being quite common too.

[237SJ]

"I looked like Mick Jagger's grandad this morning" But that is a mild anaphylactic reaction compared to some. I`ve seen a lot worse. Hopefully it will pass off soon.

[davebro]

thx

[LadyCG]

"Mild-anaphylactic" is an oxymoron.

Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction. Angioedema is idiopathic (allergy-like). It is histamine-mediated but is a complete spontaneous process.

[237SJ]

No it's not LCG. There are different levels of anaphylaxis. The first being the mildest (but not always) I have had kids at work with swollen lips - that's not an allergy, that is an anaphylacitc reaction but not life threatening.

[davebro]

please don't corrupt my query with flare up! (no pun intended)

[LadyCG]

237, anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction.

There is no such thing as "mild anaphylaxis".

I worked for two Immunologists until around January this year.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/anaphylaxis/