I sleep very little but when I do, I wake anywhere from 5 to 10 times. My mouth is so dry I almost panic also my nostrils are a mess and I can’t breathe through my nose, I have tried everything for my nose, Vaseline seems the best and I drink lemonade and water. I also have nose bleeds at night. Does anyone have this nose problem. The cartilage seems to be damaged and I am worried about a deviated septum as the appearance of my nose has changed.
It is so strange to me how one night I'm fine and the next "Hello dry mouth!" I'm not any prescription for it yet but discovered Xylimelts! I love them and buy them on Amazon. They have a natural adhesive on the back and just stick on your tooth and gum. I put one on each side of my mouth before bed and they last until about 5:00 a.m. Lots of good reviews about them on Amazon.
Thanks, Lovey. I'm going to try and find water bottles with the filter on top you describe. Those would be good to use when I'm out for awhile and run out of water and have to refill at a fountain or something. Thanks!
I use Pilocarpine prescription, and you can hold some organic coconut oil in your mouth before bed, don't rinse afterward. It lasts longer than anything else I have tried topically.
Oh, and 12 hour Mucinex helps, too.
I'm surprised to hear you suggest Mucinex, as it really dries me out. I'm glad it helps you though.
Bookgeek - Thanks for the suggestion. So, in this case, you aren't doing the oil pulling, you're just holding the coconut oil in your mouth for a little while and then spitting out, right? I had thought of doing that so thanks!
Yes, I can't swish it because of the trigeminal neuralgia. I found just holding it in my mouth for a while and not rinsing helped. I keep forgetting to do it, though, because I am so tired by nighttime. Another thing that helps, even though I don't have sleep apnea, is a c-pap machine. I can't use it if my TN is acting up, but when I do, I noticed I am not as dry. Not as many morning headaches, either.
SK, Mucinex, w/o decongestant or anything in it, should only thin the secretions, so you produce more...well, spit. The ENT suggested it, but I was already taking it when I discovered that it has a positive effect by accident. Funny that it dries you out, but we all react to meds so differently. My sister can't take much of anything. She is really sensitive.
I'm not sure I've ever taken Mucinex without a decongestant! Didn't realize there was a with and a without! Thanks!
I use a CPAP machine, but I have a humidifier on it, plus a heated hose, to keep the water/moisture warm to my face. It is a blessing to me! I see people use humidifiers for your room, with the CPAP machine, it goes directly to my face, which I really need. Yes, it can be very drying without the humidifier, but I've had a CPAP with a humidifier since the beginning. I love my CPAP machine. I sort of like breathing while I sleep. LOL Just a minor benefit. LOL
Terrible, isn't it, Fascina, the habits we get into? I am so addicted to breathing, myself! 8-)
I have Primary Sjogrens (positive bloodwork) and some other things going on. No, CPAPS are not always drying, as Fascina pointed out. They can have humidifiers on them. I use the nasal cannula, and it puts moist air into my nasal passage, and I think holds my nostrils open, as well. For me, it has been a real help, as well. I am not sure, though, if the mask has the same effect. Fascina, do you use the cannula or the mask? I don't know enough about CPAPS to know all the different kinds out there. From what the nurses said when I got mine, there are more than one type. It could be some are very drying for SS, but not all. I probably can't do the bicarbonate. I seem to be more salt sensitive of late. I remember when we used to brush our teeth with that stuff.
Kaz said:
Yes, I would not be able to use Mucinex either because of causing further drying action. However, it MAY be of benefit to people who have very thick mucus (from lack of saliva or other conditions like sinus) as opposed to some of us who lack mucus, but that's only a may... It helps to thin mucus.
In actual fact the FDA actually has a warning about all products which contain the active ingredient in Mucinex at the moment. The active ingredient is Guaifenesin. So unless the product is actually approved by the FDA, it will be soon be taken off the market. Mucinex appears it is approved, but you need to check the box to see.
However, if you are after a way to thin mucus, the best way is by using water and bicarbonate soda. A glass of water and 1/2 teaspoon - 1 teaspoon (depends on taste for people), and gargle and swish around the mouth for quite a few minutes and then spit. Then you can actually sip a small amount and swallow, BUT check with your GP about this side of swallowing if you are on a salt restricted diet or have high blood pressure.
This is by far the most superior thing I have used (an oral medicine doctor put me onto this) for keeping the mucus thinner and also it has stopped me getting continual thrush in my mouth. My tongue no longer feels like it's on the bottom of a bird cage. I do this several times a day, and then before bed.
C-Pap machines are very drying for people with Sjogrens, so I cannot understand how this would help. In fact a lot of people who use C-Pap machines (who don't have Sjogrens) end up with dryness and have to use similar products to people with Sjogrens to relieve dry mouth symptoms.Bookgeek, just curious as have you been diagnosed with Sjogrens, as maybe you could have another condition?
LOL Bookgeek. I have primary Sjogren's also. I use a mask with my CPAP. I tried the nasal pillows, but just couldn't get used to it. I didn't know what a cannula was until I looked it up. Thankfully I don't have one!
Well, running around calling them "nose thingies" was getting me some odd looks, so I had to look it up, as well.
I hear ya, Bookgeek. I'm in bed dead tired more than half the time which I think "DOH! I forgot to do the coconut oil thing. For me, I also need to massage it onto my scalp because of my horrible hair loss from SS. I can see the freckles on my scalp unless I use that Japanese Caboki product. It has helped my peace of mind when in public.
Japanese Caboki? I am afraid to ask! Although, it could be very effective as sunblock!
LOL! Bookgeek - you make me laugh - thank you! Caboki comes in little cannisters. They are tiny little fibers that come in different shades so you can pick one that will match your hair. And you cover your face with one hand and shake the little canister gently over the area where the hair thinning is. It makes you look like you aren't losing your hair. I went to a new nutritionist last week, and she had no idea I had thinning hair like that because she couldn't tell at all. That's why I got such a confused look from her when I mentioned how my scalp can be seen with all the hair loss I've had on the top front. So I had to explain that I had used Caboki.
Sorry, couldn't resist. Now, that is interesting. My sis was saying she wanted something like that, but I never heard of a product like it. I will have to tell her. Do you have a type of trigeminal neuralgia? I have it of the face, ear, and down a little on my throat, but it is the sides of my face and my ears and eye areas that are effected the most, especially my right side. But what you are describing sounds a bit different? Perhaps the humidifier is newish? I don't know, and I am not sure that the cannula is forced in, more like breathed in, but I am not sure. I mean, obviously, the air is there in my nose, but I don't think it can do much unless I am inhaling through my nose. I wonder if that would make a difference for you, or if it is still the same? Sigh, don't you sometimes just get so tired of investigating things? I love to do research, but even I get tired of health related issues....that are mine.
DLT88 said:
LOL! Bookgeek - you make me laugh - thank you! Caboki comes in little cannisters. They are tiny little fibers that come in different shades so you can pick one that will match your hair. And you cover your face with one hand and shake the little canister gently over the area where the hair thinning is. It makes you look like you aren't losing your hair. I went to a new nutritionist last week, and she had no idea I had thinning hair like that because she couldn't tell at all. That's why I got such a confused look from her when I mentioned how my scalp can be seen with all the hair loss I've had on the top front. So I had to explain that I had used Caboki.
Kaz, I know a tiny bit about GPN because there are people on the Bens Freiends TN site with it. After my crazy dental work, I got hOrrible pain in my jaw and ear and so I always wondered about it. But it turns out that a fair about of TN and ATN folks have ear pain. I hope to stop by the compounding pharmacist this week and if the owner is there, will ask your questions. But refresh my memory…one was exact amounts (ESP the Gabapentin) and the other had to do with the base cream??? BTW, my nose on right side is now having TN pain and I’m getting some nausea with it. I felt rather persecuted this weekend with so much discomfort