I've tried gargling with salt water and getting an oral sponge back that far is pretty hard without gagging.

Im constantly trying to clear my throat to no avail and a lot of times it interrupts my breathing. Any tips on how to get rid of this stuff?

Jodezilla

I had similar issue and gargled with seltzer water which sort of fizzed up and let me spit out the saliva. Only the small cans worked as a one shot deal because the bigger, more economical bottles just did not keep the carbonation high enough to grab the saliva. But I just bought 24 can cases - Safeway generic brand - It was next to the tonic water which burned my mouth when I bought one by mistake since it has quinine in it.
It can not hurt to buy one six pack and try it out.
I hope it works for you as well as it did for me
Charm

Thank you very much, Im going to try it tomorrow.

Ask the nurses to use the suction machine on you. They also have them available for rental. Keep rinsing with the salt/baking soda and warm water mixture at least 5 times a day. A water pik can also help to get the gunk out of your throat by aiming the water towards the back of your throat. The dental sponges can get any clumps out as a last resort.

Must be chemo brain to have forgotten Christine's tip about the suction machine. My doctors put in the order after my second round of cancer for a rental machine and they dropped it off at my door. It looks like a little blower motor with a rube goldberg set up of tube and canister but it did suck up the thick ropy stuff like a vacumn cleaner. Here is a picture
home suction machine

Jodezilla,

The thick saliva was so bad for me. I had the nurses power wash my mouth with this power-mister they had. They did this everyday after treatment and a couple of times a week for about a month post. There were some days when the relief was just awesome & would leave me feeling significantly better for a couple of hours & some days when they could have done it all day long & it still may not have been enough.
Keep gargling with your baking soda & salt solution. Also standing in the steamy shower helps get some of the gunk out.
I'm almost 6 months out & I can just promise you that it does get better!!
Hang in there- it's tough and sucks but you can and you will get through this!!

Best to you!!

Sally

Be very careful with hot steamy showers if using the fentayl patch. The patch and hot showers do NOT mix! A hot shower can cause the medication to be released too quickly and cause an overdose of fentayl.

Water Pik is a God send. It is wonderful. Just fill it up and aim it into your mouth - lean over the sink and let whatever come out. Keep youreyes closed - it is gross! Don't forget to move it all around your mouth - it is great for your gums and teeth as well!

Donna

Im going to try the water pick. Some days are rough for sure, all it seems I do on those days is hack and spit. Other days aren't that bad, sleeping is about the form relief I can get. On the bright side Im still eating chicken noodle soup and drinking shakes. Next dose of chemo is tomorrow, to be honest Im kinda scared. Last time was sick for over a week and my saliva was normal.

Does anybody ever feel like that this treatment just isn't right ?
You get so sick and messed-up from something thats suppose to help you just seems so counter-intuitive.

Jode - those thoughts of the treatment not being right are natural and it's hard to disagree with them in principle. Unfortunately the slash, burn and poison school of cancer treatment is more or less all that we have right now.

If you want to read a great, albeit long, summary of the history of this bitch of a condition and where we are now in treating it I recommend Dr. Siddarth Mukherjee's Pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece "The Emperor of All Maladies".

Meanwhile, my thoughts are with you as you fight on. So glad you're still able to eat! I hope some of the suggestions above help you with the saliva issue.