My Tongue Turned Black!

Why Is My Tongue Black?

I recently shared with you the pain and discomfort of my Bartonella toes. The morning I woke up to discover that my tongue had turned black was equally compelling. While it wasn’t painful or uncomfortable, it really scared me and continues to resonate. Like a giant, flashing red light of fear, when I saw it I was silently screaming, “Why is my tongue black!!??” In fact, this one symptom, that only lasted a few days, was my guiding reason for starting this blog.

In conjuring the circumstances of this striking day I was sure it was months into my journey. This is a testament to how overwhelming Lyme disease treatment can be. Time takes on a whole new meaning when you’re forced to climb a new mountain every day. As it turns out, I was only about three weeks into my two-year-long battle.

Leading up to that day, my memories are a blur of fear, pain and discomfort ranging from moderate to oh-my-god-I-think-I-might-die. I felt like I was walking through an endless dark forest smothered in a fog that never lifted. I felt my way along slowly and trepidatiously, as though half-blind and lame. Within a few short days of starting treatment my body had become a mystery to me.

Have You Woke Up to Discover a Black Tongue?

On the morning of July 7, 2017, I woke up prepared to slog through my day as usual. The aroma of bacon and eggs spurred me out of bed. I slowly shuffled to the bathroom and went through the motions of my morning. Surprisingly, this always included brushing my teeth. Long story short, when I stuck out my tongue to brush it, I was astounded to discover that my tongue had turned black overnight. As I stared back at my reflection in the mirror in utter disbelief, my heart skipped a few beats. I was terrified.

As you can imagine I immediately walked into the kitchen to show my black tongue to my husband. While he did appear perplexed and a little concerned, I was disappointed when his alarm didn’t match my own. I called the doctor’s office as soon as they opened to share my news, passing my concern along to the receptionist. How worried should I be? Is something wrong? What in the world could cause this? Is this a sign that I’m dying? All these questions rattled around in my exhausted and frightened brain. I waited what felt like an eternity until my doctor could get back to me.

While I waited, I chewed on this looming unknown like a bad habit. Fear reverberated in my brain. My attempt to find answers on the internet was to no avail. There was one mention on some forum that I can’t recall the name of, but there was no answer for the cause. I did find some comfort in knowing that at least one other person had experienced something similar but I knew my fears wouldn’t abate until I heard from my doctor.

What Causes Your Tongue to Turn Black?

I’m not sure how long I waited to get that call-back but eventually my phone rang. The nurse on the other end of the line assured me that I wasn’t dying and there was nothing serious wrong with me. My recollection of the conversation is that the likely cause was my antibiotic, which at the time was Doxycycline, causing a fungal overgrowth. She suggested I cut back on how many pills I was taking for a week or so and it should get better. She also recommended I take hot Epsom salt baths to aid in ridding my body of the toxins building up as the bacteria died off. Another resource is taking probiotics, which I was already taking, as prescribed for me by my doctor.

Breathe Easy, You’re Okay

I breathed easier with this information now provided but the scar from that morning, and of that unknown fear, still resonates. If you ever experience this, I hope this post helps alleviate any fear you may feel. However, this shouldn’t serve as a scientific diagnosis. I would recommend you contact your doctor as well to be sure.