Saliva measurement percentage

ac
ac Member Posts: 88 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
I'm now 2 weeks post concurrent chemo rad and still have 3 rounds of chemo left. I'm still have pretty dry mouth and extremely ropey saliva.

As an example, what does it mean when someone says they had 80% saliva function back? Does it mean that they have pretty good quality (watery) saliva or could it be 80% saliva function returned but it's all still ropey?

It's really hard to swallow the ropey stuff... really nasty.

Thanks very much.

Andrew

Comments

  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #2
    Saliva
    Don’t know if I can explain it but will try, as for me I believe I have right at 60% of my Saliva glands working. It is just enough to keep my mouth moist when trying to sleep but still need a little help from stuff like Stoppers 4. 60% does not do me any good with trying to eat for that I have to have a bottle of water with me to wash things down the pipes. Now and then I still get a bit of the really thick stuff and mucus, for that I just use my NeilMed Sinus Rinse twice a day mix with Baking Soda.

    Hope this helps some
    Hondo
  • DrMary
    DrMary Member Posts: 531 Member
    #3
    Great question
    I think folks mean that they are at 80% of what they remember as being normal. It's more qualitative than quantitative.

    The artificial spit researchers, of course, get quantitative. Amount, as you have noticed, is not the only thing that counts. Viscosity is important, especially shear viscosity. We think of fluids as thick and thin. However, some fluids change their "thickness" when undergoing shear (the stress we put on things when we spread them - think of how easy it is to spread a pat of butter and how hard it is to spread a pat of cheddar cheese, even those both are solids). These folks have recognized that artificial spit needs to spread around your mouth the way real spit does, wetting every little crevice - water just doesn't do that. Who knew spit was so complicated?

    I have not measured Doug's spit - either in quantity or in viscosity. He is not 100% in quantity - he needs to drink water frequently, but he is getting better at eating things that are not fubricated. The ropey spit stopped a long time back - near the end of treatment, I think. Taste and normal saliva output seem to be linked as well.

    One thing I have noticed - no morning mouth. No spit, no bacteria, I guess.
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #4
    95 Percent...
    Like Mary said, I feel I'm around 95% of what I was prior to treatment... I can form clear saliva at will. I only drink water as needed can eat without having to drink between bites.

    That included anything, crackers, pizza, bread, etc....

    The 5% that I feel that I'm missing is mainly at night and when I first wake. I'm not waking with the leathery jerky tongue that I once did.

    I have 100% of my taste back, or if I don't it's nothing that I have noticed not being able to taste.

    It took over two years to eat ice cream and not lose the flavor after a few bites...at over 2 1/2 years post treatment, I can eat ice cream again.....ahhhh.

    Hang in there, it gets better...just very slowly.

    Best,
    John
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #5
    Skiffin16 said:

    95 Percent...
    Like Mary said, I feel I'm around 95% of what I was prior to treatment... I can form clear saliva at will. I only drink water as needed can eat without having to drink between bites.

    That included anything, crackers, pizza, bread, etc....

    The 5% that I feel that I'm missing is mainly at night and when I first wake. I'm not waking with the leathery jerky tongue that I once did.

    I have 100% of my taste back, or if I don't it's nothing that I have noticed not being able to taste.

    It took over two years to eat ice cream and not lose the flavor after a few bites...at over 2 1/2 years post treatment, I can eat ice cream again.....ahhhh.

    Hang in there, it gets better...just very slowly.

    Best,
    John

    No saliva
    I don't even think I have 30%.

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