Soup Spoon Saga

For years, I've had a weird problem...and it took me many years before that to make the connection. For as long as I can remember, I've had problems with the corner of my mouth. I'd get a teeny tiny cut, which would then get infected, and take quite a while to heal. For a long time, I just thought they were cold sores, but eventually I realized that the problem happened every time I used a soup spoon (ie, larger than a teaspoon). So I did my own testing, and sure enough, the cut only appeared after using a soup spoon. So I stopped using them at home (we use Chinese soup spoons now), and try as much as possible to not use them when eating out. And I haven't had a cut on my lip for a long time.

Last week, we were served an amazing seafood chowder at a friend’s house. It was too hard to eat with a teaspoon, so I reluctantly switched to a soup spoon. Despite being very careful with it, I still woke up the next morning with another infected cut on the corner of my mouth. It’s now a week later, and despite much careful treatment, it’s still there, still infected, and still painful. My whine is that I wonder when I’ll ever learn to respect my body and its limitations and stop doing the things that I know will hurt it. Grrrrr.

Is it opening your mouth wider than causes this?
that story about the hole in the road we fall into repeatedly..do you remember it?

Eagle,
I read your post about the soup spoon cutting the corner of
your mouth. What a bummer that is. I'm wondering why that happens and perhaps if you didn't put the spoon as far as normal,
if that'd help. I agree some things are real [grrrr] instigators.

I think it's a sensitivity to the stainless steel itself...when I used the spoon this last time, I was very careful to open my mouth wide and avoid that vulnerable corner of my mouth. There's a possibility that opening my mouth wider to accommodate the spoon makes that part of my lip crack, but since this only happens right after using a stainless steel soup spoon, I'm tending to think it's the material in the spoon...maybe there are little nicks in the steel that are catching on the lip. It's interesting that I've never had a cut on the right side of my lip, only on the left.

(And I don't know if it happens with silver spoons, because I rarely ever use real silver - because I don't like the metalic taste of real silver cutlery.

I remember cleaning real silver, silverware when I was a kid.
Perhaps that is the problem. Good luck with correcting whatever
it is causing trouble.

Love the idea of using Chinese soup spoons! Sounds like you have come up with a workable solution -- and that's all the matters, right?

Another idea: What if you try drinking the soup from a mug?

Anne

When we're at home, I have more options, like using the Chinese soup spoon or drinking from a mug. It's when we're away and eating in other houses that the problem arises. Sometimes it's difficult when we're a large number of people sitting around the table to just get up and get another spoon, which was the case this time. I wasn't able to get up without disturbing many other people, and it was just easier to use the spoon given to me. But given the difficulty I had this time getting this infection under control, I'll just have to be more attentive before sitting down, or ask someone to switch spoons for me. It's just one of those nuisance things in life, not a big deal, but suitable fodder for a fine whine, LOL.

Eagle Heart, I suppose everybody deserves a chance to enjoy a "fine whine" now and then, right?

Eagle why not make sure to carry a spoon of your own in your purse or pocket wherever you go? Stainless is okay but I can't eat off good silver it makes my teeth hurt really bad so I always have a fork and spoon on my person in a plastic bag...I also carry a straw and NEVER drink from a glass in any restaurant I go to or I'll ask for one. I don't trust restaurant dishwashers!

Chatty, that's a good idea. I should just tuck one of those Chinese soup spoons in the bottom of my purse! Never thought of it!!

Eagle Heart, her Andre and I are "FINALLY" meeting Thursday for a nice dinner and some fun. We spoke today and made the aqrrangements. No baby or dogs allowed. Both will have other sitters. I need a break big time. So excited to meet Sharon at long last!

Can't wait to hear all about it, with pictures, of course!