Dry mouth?

Every since surgery my natural internal furnace was almost non-existent. I froze if it was under 76. Now I am hot-really hot My friends who came by were shocked I had on no covers and they were asking for warm blankets. About that time I also started experiencing extreme dry mouth. Can even get solid food down unless you drink something first or even during, the events may not be related but the dry mouth and dried up tongue is about all I can stand right now. I have gotten pain levels to 6ish for most of the day which is good but I have tried water, cranberry juice, grape juice and nothing seems to make the symptoms leave
Any suggestions.

K

[golfnut]

I had an extremely dry mouth at about three or four weeks after my surgery. Nothing seemed to help, but it went away farily quickly. I imagine it's caused by the heavy pain medications.

[LindaRacine]

What new medications are you taking?

[Kayde]

Meds

He has me on Logan now but kept me on the oxycodone. 10-325. Haven't helped as much as I would assumed it would. Silly me..I guess I thought I would be a 10plus pain but figured with medications I could have it down to a 5. Lol. Unrealistic I guess. Lol

[LindaRacine]

I have no idea what Logan is, but the most frequent cause of dry mouth is medication.

[Kayde]

I was told it was muscle relaxer. But I only asked about the pain meds. O maybe

[jrnyc]

i searched a prescription drug website and there is no drug called "Logan"...
does it go by another name?

jess

[Lorz]

Are you taking anything for nerve pain, like Neurontin (generic is gabapentin), or Lyrica? They both cause dry mouth and eyes.

[titaniumed]

Kayde
I set some gas bill records in my recovery will my thermostat set at 78 degrees. Freezing and sweating, back and forth, sometimes happening very quickly. The body trying to heal itself on meds can do this. Keep notes on everything.

I started making protein smoothies since eating was a challenge. This is one way to get those needed nutrients! Nutrition is so important right now.

In a blender...
1/8 cup whey protein powder
1 banana
1 yogurt
5 blueberries frozen
5 blackberries frozen
5 strawberries frozen
10 almonds
5 raspberries frozen
1/2 apple

Buy frozen its easier.

Having a sip of water before eating is a good idea. I do this as it acts as a lubricant and prepares the pipes.

Hang in there, it does get better.
Ed

[leahdragonfly]

Hi Kayde,

glad to hear your pain has improved somewhat.

I am curious if your tongue appears coated with white, or if the tongue is very red and inflamed or sore. I had oral thrush at around 7 days post-op and it did start with an extraordinarily dry mouth, beyond normal dry mouth for taking lots of narcotics.

You can find photos of thrush (oral candidiasis) online if you think you may have it. It is easily treated with a prescription oral rinse.

Hang in there,

[Mojo's Mom]

Ed, I'm so glad you wrote about smoothies. I had been considering starting a thread asking if anyone had found smoothies useful for getting lots of nutrients and protein into our bodies after surgery when our appetites are poor. I make smoothies every day anyway, kind of like your recipe except I put in a huge handful of kale, or spinach or chard in with all that fruit. You need a Vitamix or Blentec to handle the kale, but spinach will whip up in any blender.

I'm glad to know this worked for you, because it was part of my plan for after surgery. It would probably help lots of people, and there is just no better way to cram nutrients into your body at any time.