Dry mouth questions

Pumakitty
Pumakitty Member Posts: 652
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I have a couple of questions about some issues my dad is having.

1. Do any of you notice that airconditiong makes your dry mouth issues worse?

2. Do you also get a dry sore throat when your dry mouth is worse.

3. Do you sometimes sound like you are losing your voice.

4. Did your dry mouth get worse years after treatment.



Since the weather has been so hot we having been running our airconditioner a lot. Over the weekend dad started complaining about his mouth being more dry and a dry sore throat. His voice also sound very raspy and like he is losing his voice. He says nothing hurts but complains about his dry mouth being a lot worse. I was wondering if the airconditioner could be to blame.

He is a little over 2 years from radiaiton treatment for base of tongue.


Kathy

Comments

  • boardwalkgirl
    boardwalkgirl Member Posts: 269
    #2
    Can't answer from a long
    Can't answer from a long term side as I am still finishing up treatments but this is my last week of radiation and my voice has disappeared in the past 2 days for the most part. I have been in air conditioning the whole time so I can't judge that, but I have found sleeping with a cool mist humidifier has helped my mouth and throat at night. Just thought it might help him.
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #3
    humidity
    is the name of the game. AC dries the air out. He will find this can make a significant difference. At the moment I am glad I dont live in a desert environment. Cant imagine living in the Kalahari, where summertime humidity is 4 or 5 percent. And yes, my throat gets dry and scratchy. That is where dry mouth affects me most. He may still get past this. Some of us recover salivary function years after rads.


    Pat
  • katenorwood
    katenorwood Member Posts: 1,912
    #4
    Humidity kicks my butt
    Kathy,
    Hello, we use the air all the time, as it is so humid here in the summer months. My throat issues are alot worse without it. I try not to go in and out when the humidity is at 60 - 80 % or my voice and neck problems get worse. Wishing your Father the best, Katie
  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #5
    I dry out rapidly when I'm outside....
    to the point that I can't talk, and my mouth is stuck...frozen in position...that takes only a few minutes. When I'm inside my mouth stays reasonable for about 30 minutes if I'm not talking to anyone. That's with AC.

    I'm starting to wonder when my mouth is having a day of ultra dryness, if those corelate with the days I can't get rid of the cough...

    I definatley lose my voice when my mouth is dried out.

    p
  • CajunEagle
    CajunEagle Member Posts: 408
    #6
    Dry Mouth answers

    1)...Yes. Even with daily heat indexes of 107-110, I keep the thermostat at 75. Any higher, I get fairly dry mouth over a period of hours. Any lower, I get sinus problems over the same period.

    2)...NO.

    3)...Yes. Like most active elements in our body, the more you use them the better they work (except over-use, and Father Time). I'm not much of a talker, and when I do initially I find my voice starts at a high pitch or pretty low one, until I get my vocal cords warmed up.

    4)...No. I don't think my dry mouth is any worse. Some days are better than others, and I've come to accept that.

    Been out of treatment for 3 years, 2 months (and 3 days) for stage 4 left Tonsil Cancer.

    Larry
  • Pumakitty
    Pumakitty Member Posts: 652
    #7
    Thank you
    thank you so much for all your comments. Dad was feeling much better yesterday. I think the extreme heat we had for a couple of days bothered him a lot.

    Kathy
  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    #8
    Pumakitty said:

    Thank you
    thank you so much for all your comments. Dad was feeling much better yesterday. I think the extreme heat we had for a couple of days bothered him a lot.

    Kathy

    GC Dry Mouth
    A Japenese company, GC Dental products Corp, makes a product, called, "GC Dry Mouth", I'll be damned. It's not magic but it does help.

Discussion Boards