What on earth happened to my LIPS???

Question

I had my band practice today and while I was practicing on my mouth-piece ( I'm in the trumpet section) I suddenly could not play.No matter how hard I blast there wasn't a single note that i could play. So as I removed my mouth-piece I felt a strange sensation on my lips.

Upon close inspection I realized it was swollen.. But it was not the usual swollen -- the kind you get during warm-up.. It's like as if it's filled with air bubble. When I touched it it felt kinda jelloid in a way AND it felt numb too.The swollen part was also a different shade of colour from my lips.

So what on earth is that? What had caused that and how do I avoid it in the future? Please do help cause it's kinda scary and it's interfering with my warm-ips.. I couldn't play for an hour till the swelling went down.. (:

Thank!!

Answer 1

What you are describing sounds like you were having an allergic reaction to something that was in contact with your mouth. Allergic reactions involving the lips usually occur within a short time of the exposure, so it was something you touched and had on your hands or something you ate/drank,or got on your mouth within about 30 minutes to an hour prior. Had you just oiled your valves? The oil may have gotten on either the mouthpiece or your hands, and from there to your mouth, or you may have dripped a bit on the mouthpiece. Or did you use a bit of the oil to lubricate your mouthpiece before attaching it to the instrument? Any of these could have gotten the oil into contact with your mouth, and the oil doesn't really have a taste so you might not even have noticed a small amount.
If this was the cause, then the preventative is fairly straightforward and easy. Just take care when you lubricate the valves and mouthpiece, so you don't drip any on the mouthpiece. Then before you do anything else, wash your hands with soap and water if you possibly can, or use one of the waterless hand cleaners. If you have to lub the mouthpiece, be sure to hold it so the lub oil will run downwards away from the actual part that you will put to your mouth. Again, you would want to wash your hands well afterwards.
If it wasn't due to the oil, then I have no idea what it would have been, other than something you had on your hands or put in/on your mouth, to cause such a reaction. It could also simply have been a combination of events that led to the trouble. You might have had a tighter embouchure than usual that actually did bruise the lips, and with any brass instrument, problems with the lips will affect how you play- even keep you from playing, as you discovered. Chapped lips, a cold sore, a cold or sore throat, all will change the way you play or prevent you from playing. That's the reason musicians are so cautious with their mouths, teeth, and hands.
It may have been just a stray oops, and you came in contact with something odd that won't even happen again. You may never discover what it was that triggered it all. Unless it continues to cause you problems, I'd just sign it off to one weird experience and forget it. If it happens again, then you would want to think back to what you have touched or eated within the last hour or so. And remember, your mom always tells you to keep your hands away from your mouth for a really good reason, because from your hands to your mouth, whatever is on the hands gets in your mouth. Bacteria, chemicals, whatever. And if it does happen again, then you might want to see a doctor to narrow down the cause a little more accurately. If you truly are allergic to something, the next reaction may be stronger and last longer.

Answer 2

study the components on the lip balms you're allergic to and take a verify out to make certain which one is inflicting the reaction. end utilising lip balms with those components. do no longer use products which you're allergic to.

Answer 3

Maybe it's an allergy to something..