Those words still bring tears to my eyes when I remember saying them to my best friend over coffee six months ago.
My name is Jenna R. I'm 42 years old, a mother of two, and until recently, I was living with a secret that was slowly destroying my confidence and my marriage.
For three years, I'd been battling a persistent white coating on my tongue that wouldn't go away no matter what I tried.
It started as a small patch. Then it spread. The white, cottage cheese-like texture covered my entire tongue, and the self-consciousness became unbearable.
I stopped laughing with my mouth open. I turned my face away during conversations. I chewed gum obsessively. And worst of all, I started avoiding intimate moments with my husband.
The turning point came on our anniversary dinner. My husband leaned in to kiss me goodnight, and I watched him pull back — just slightly, but enough. He tried to hide it, but I saw the hesitation in his eyes.
That night, I cried in the bathroom and made a decision: I would fix this, no matter what it cost.
Little did I know that the "solution" wouldn't come from any of the doctors I'd been seeing. It wouldn't come from any of the mouthwashes lining my cabinet. And it definitely wouldn't require the $850 "deep cleaning protocol" my dentist had recommended.
The answer came from somewhere I never expected: my gut.