The dry mouth thing - we knew it was coming!

Hi Debbie, I found that Oralieve dry mouth Gel helps. Available on prescription or from the Pharmacy..I'm nil by mouth and it helps me alot. Wayne.

Thanks Wayne. Nil by mouth makes me realise how lucky, comparatively we are!  Good luck!

Hi Debbie. 
Chewing gum helps a lot. It stimulates the surviving salivary glands. Salivary glands have two components. Water and mucous( plus enzymes) The largest producers of watery secretion are the submandibular gland under the chin. They are responsible for background saliva and are permanently trashed. Hence the dry mouth at rest. The parotids under the ear produce saliva in response to chewing food which is why chewing gum helps. The RT is usually planned so that at least one survives. The good news is that there are masses of little salivary glands dotted about inside the mouth and throat and many if these recover but take their time. 
Acupuncrure helps many people but not all…. Be warned but with trying. There are two entries in my blog. 

Debbie N26 said:

Oddly he can manage soft meat, cheese, eggs but a baked potato drowned in butter and cheese is almost impossible, and he says after 2-3 mouthfuls, his mouth literally dries up 100% and he just can't go on eating.

Potato is the worse thing. Give it a rest for a year. Sweet potato is much easier and you can roast/jacket those. Get him to try taking a tiny sip of a warm drink with each mouthful of food to act as a proxy saliva. It makes a real difference. 

So useful - THANK YOU!!!!!   Is it a carb thing...is Pasta bad too??

No. It’s the texture of the potato grains. Our sensitive mouths pick up how grainy it is. I can eat potato now at a pinch but chips are impossible unless slathered in mayonnaise. Pasta is ok

It’s a similar thing with bread. Bread has little pores in it that suck up any saliva you have and you end up with a thick gluey unswallowable( sic) lump. Try toast which has had the pores stuck together and it’s a different animal. 
Toasted tea cake with masses of butter is fab! 

I chew gum.. a lot.. and always have sip of tea to help swallow my food..  I find bread/toast, etc a difficult one to deal with.. I always have drink ready with those.

Hi Debbie. I use either Biotene or Oral7 mouth spray and moisturising gel which I can buy over the counter at our local pharmacy in Australia. I use it during the day and night when my mouth get dry and find they really help. Xylimelts work well also particularly at night. When I was able to eat solid food I used to make sure that it was very moist food with lots of gravy. I found some meat at that stage easier to eat than others. I found chicken too dry and also mince. Meat that had a higher fat content was moister and easier to manage. Things like slow cooked beef cooked in a sauce worked O.K. Things do improve over time. 

Lyn

Dry mouth is unfortunately part of our new normal, it does get less noticeable as time passes, different things work for different patients, Xylitol chewing gum is cheap and easily sourced, as is water, Biotene gel on prescription, Guinness alcohol free is a treat and helps....my latest go-to is coconut water...foods are mostly trial and error for us.

HI Debbie

I think it is too early for chewing gum, but now 2 years on it is one of my go-to solutions.  It may be too strong just at the moment.  At 6 weeks I was using Oral 7 mouthwash, which is not on prescription here, and found it really good.

Pasta is my go-to food.  If I had been born Italian I would be so happy now.  I find it easy to chew and swallow especially with a good sauce.  I can and do eat other foods but am wary of "solid" meats.  I could not dace a roast beef dinner, but some choice cuts of pork or lamb (both fatty foods) do work well providing I cut them right up small.

I never had a problem with potato, but that just goes to show that we are all different.

When eating I need something slightly thicker than water to help with the lack of saliva.  Beer, warm tea and maybe slightly flat coke work OK.  Sparkling water can also help.

He will find that things do change over time.  What he can eat one week may be difficult the next.  I do find that eating a full meal is a struggle as my throat decides not to play about half way through.  So little and often is a good rule,  Finally I try to end each meal with something like a rice pud or yoghurt as these calm my aching throat.