Another bad mouth and throat day

[Margot49]

Getting so tired of this.  Such a nice day we decided to take a ride.  Again, as the day progressed, my dry mouth, uncomfortable tongue and that gluey feeling was getting worse and worse.  Add to that I now seem to be having problems with thick mucus I cannot blow out my nose or expectorate and am back to on going hacking and clearing my throat.  Add to that feeling of flushing and generally feeling unwell.  Latest ENT doc ordered yet another sinus CT scan and gave me aLydocaine rinse and am supposed to swallow it!  It says right in the literature it may make it difficult to swallow and can cause choking!  No way am I using that.  I cannot understand why all these Specialists" can't figure this out.  :-(

[Margot49]

Thank you again for your response.  Other than vitamins the only drug I have taken for some time is Alprazolam (Xanax) daily but usually only take 1/2 od a .05 mg in the mornings.  My doc's know this and say such a small amount would not cause the dryness.  Of course, after 4 years, I am dependent on it
I had the endoscopy done and about 5 biopsies were taken, one being for Barrett's.  All negative but some irritation seen. Doc wants me to try Omeprazol for 2 weeks (I told him I had problems with Nexium, muscle pain and a rib fracture). Started it a few days ago and, again, waking up in the mornings with an upset stomach.  Switched back to the Pepcid and was better.  Today, again trying the Omeprazole to see if I have problems.  No way to tell unless I try it again.  My mouth and throat have not been as bad for 3 days but my bad days definitely seem to cycle.  I have stopped snacking at night.  I seldom ever use a drug in the NSAID class.  Actually, my PCP told me to take Baby Aspirin but I stopped that some time ago.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

The mouth dryness could sometimes be a side effect of your medication. along with the medication,  lifestyle modifications can definitely help in treating superficial ulcer and may also give relief to the symptoms of GERD. Some guidelines are eat frequent small meals- 5 to 6, instead of 3 large meals.Avoid oily and spicy food. In general, avoid all fatty foods.Cessation of smoking helps to heal ulcer. Avoid consumption of alcohol. Take the last meal of the day early and let there be a time gap between the last meal and bedtime.

If you are overweight, try to reduce weight.Adapt a regular exercise regime, which will improve bowel movements as well as relieve any tensions or stress.Avoid all pain killers like NSAIDs which will aggravate your problem.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.

[Margot49]

Thank you so much for your reply,  I had blood tests and exams at Stanford and a salivary gland biopsy and a parotid gland biopsy done by two doctors and negative for Sjorgens.  I did find out at an oral clinic at UCSF that my parotid glands are not producing saliva.  Saw one ENT doc yesterday and pointed out 3 small, painless bumps under my tongue.  He told me they are benign salivary gland something.  Due to stomach problems I am having now, given Pepcid to try, I am having another endoscopy this Thursday.   I just do not feel well daily and this is just miserable.
Again, thank you.

[Paderla Anitha, DNB]

Hello and hope you are doing well.

Understand your predicament. But sometimes you're symptoms of a dry mouth could be due to disorders like Sjogren's syndrome, which is a disease that causes dryness of the mouth and eyes.  It can also lead to dryness in other places that need moisture, such as your nose, throat and skin. It is an autoimmune disease. Most people who get Sjogren's syndrome are older than 40. Nine of 10 are women. Blood tests, eye tests, imaging studies and sometimes a biopsy may be needed to diagnose to this condition. Check with your doctor to rule out this condition.

Hope this helped and do keep us posted.