Dry mouth

[Doug Carpenter]

Dry mouth....pineapple juice iss it?

Doug

[Christopher]

Doug Carpenter

I was given biotene moisturising gel at the hospital for dry mouth.

Main reason for mine is probably not clinical when I get it. Its just that I haven't eaten or drunk anything.

[Ellie]

Doug Carpenter I'm unsure if you're asking if pineapple juice is a cure or a cause for dry mouth, but the answer is a no for both.

As mentioned, Biotene is one of the solutions, as well as Xylimelts and wet/damp swab sticks.

Presumably your humidier is working properly and set to 5? xxx

[Doug Carpenter]

Humidifier on 2
doug

[Ellie]

An easy trial would be to increase the humidifier setting and see if that improves your situation.

Perhaps the room air is drier because of central heating? xx

[Aadam]

Ellie Many thanks for the recommendation of biotene. My Dad has been having this issue at night recently and this has helped

[WheelsOfSteel]

Seeing as humidifiers have been mentioned...
I have been using overnight NIV for a couple of months, and have become accustomed to my mouth feeling like dry cardboard every morning.
They gave me a humidifier last week, and it doesn't seem to make any difference.
I have turned it up to max (5) and the water reservoir only gets warmed to barely above body temperature.
Does that sound right?

[Ellie]

WheelsOfSteel Which NIV machine do you have, Eddie? Can you see a new symbol on the screen as some machines 'need to be told' they have a humidifier attached? xx

[WheelsOfSteel]

Hiya Ellie - it's a Philips DreamStation.
Everything seems to be in order, since there is indeed a new symbol on the screen when the humidifier is attached, and the settings respond to turning the dial on the machine.
Just doesn't seem to do much

[Ellie]

WheelsOfSteel That's disappointing. My Nippy 4 humidifier definitely makes a difference.

You're not getting 'rainout' (condensation build up), over-filling the water chamber or using a heated hose?

They don't need to be hot, around 30-31^o is normal, depending on the humidity and time of year. Can you think of any environmental reasons affecting the humidifier? xx

[Ellie]

WheelsOfSteel I had another thought, Eddie...

Does your mouth stay shut when you sleep? xx

[WheelsOfSteel]

Ellie - No. I reckon most of my time on NIV is spent breathing through my mouth
Pre-NIV I was having breathing difficulties, and probably got into the habit there.
I can find it more restful trying to get to sleep breathing through my nose, but I often find it hard to keep up

[Ellie]

I reckon most of my time on NIV is spent breathing through my mouth

And that's the reason for the dry mouth - your mouth is not getting moist air.

I know you have a "mouth / nose" mask which, in theory, should hold your mouth closed, particularly the masks which extend from the chin to the nostril. Perhaps a different size mask or a different type/brand of mask is what you need. xx