I have been accused on occassion of having a big mouth throughout my life. Little did I know that my "big mouth" would eventually become necessary to house a huge tongue...yet another sign of Acromegaly. The pictures depict my tongue on a good day. On a good day, I can close my mouth and swallow with no problem. Sadly, good days are few and far between.On a bad day my tongue swells so large that I can no longer close my mouth. It just sits in there resting between my upper and lower teeth..well, what's left of them...and the tip of my tongue slips thru my lips. Biting my tongue has become common practice for me and every morning I wake up with bite prints across the tip of my sore tongue. I am often caught literally with my tongue hanging out out of my mouth, almost chimp-like, with an occassional drool running down my chin. How embarrassing is that! Drooling mid-conversation is just something I have adapted to. I tell people, "excuse me, I'm teething". I have a fear of my tongue swelling to the point where my airway is completely cut off, I do not breathe through my nose at all. Wonder how much more my tongue can possible grow? Hopefully not too much more; it is already wreaking havoc in my mouth.Oddly, I can remember about ten years ago, 5 years before acro DX, entertaining my children and my nephews by sticking my tongue out and letting it flail back and forth while shaking my head. Kids thought it was hilarious. Little did I know at that time what was behind the enlarged tongue.
I used to have a big mouth, now I bite my tongue :o)
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