Dry Mouth ... Lack Of Saliva

9 weeks after radiation mucositis is still happening, but it seems tha dry mouth or a lack of saliva is the biggest impediment to eating hard foods.  Any solutions?

I think dry mouth bothers me even more than the loss of taste, I even think it may contribute to it.

Things that work for me: steamed vegetables ( get those microwave steamer bags at the grocery store or but a microwave steamer at Linens and Things or a similar store), pasta with any kind of sauce, Chinese foods, turkey sausage, baked (in the microwave) sweet potatos, protein shakes/smoothies, shrimp and crabmeat and stir fry dishes.

Things that DONT work: anything breaded, lean meats like beef and chicken, most fish, any kind of bread.

I always keep a bottle of water handy too. Try Biotene products, they make toothpaste, mouthwash and other things for people with dry mouth. You can find them at drug stores, some grocery stores and Target stores.

You can also ask your doc(s) for a prescription for Salagen (pilocarpene) or something similar. It stimulates saliva production, not quite enough for me, but it does help.

Try looking over in the Head and Neck cancer area, it seems to be more active than this forum.

Best wishes,

Mike

 

 

My saliva came back over a few months, so I never followed up on a discovery I made of a fellow in California who has used accupunctrure to restore saliva production.  I typically doubt the efficacy of "alternate" therapies, but this was a peer-reviewed article with statistics on results- something like 60% succesful.  My MD's took it seriously, so it may be worth a try.

Hi: It's been about 13 monthe since I ended radiation (although I also had bracheotherapy on my tongue) and I still have dry mouth. I have been told that the return of the saliva glands are questionable.  I have tried various prescriptions which work only a little and have found the best (but poor) results to come from dry mouth sprays and never leaving home without a bottle of water.  Hope my experiance is wrong in your case and good luck.  Ed

i change the foods i eat, soup and pudding, some say milk, i have to stay away food spices food cause it will burn my mouth. there are saliva subsatutes in your store near the pharmsy, i didn't like them, but as time goes by you will know what works for you, but stock up on your water, you will need it, i carrry a bottle on me all the time, besides water is good for you. and get plenty of rest, i haven't try the acupunture, humm i might try that, to see if it will help