jobeeg -- I totally feel your Mom's pain... that was my biggest struggle for awhile as well, especially during the final few weeks of my radiation treatment and the first week afterward... I got to where I could only sleep for about an hour, then I'd wake up gagging and have to run to the bathroom for a spit-and-rinse session (I'm sure my wife loved that). I always felt like a vomit was right around the corner as well, since my "gag" reflex was being tested so much...

As for solutions, my nurses told me to rinse a few times a day with a 50-50 mix of water and hydrogen peroxide or baking soda. That helped some, and joanna's suggestions about Puffs is a good one. I took an anti-nausea medicine for awhile as well to calm my rumbly stomach.

I'm not sure what the docs can do during treatment but a week after I finished my treatments, the docs put me on some kind of steroid to reduce swelling in my mouth. Literally within 48 hours of taking this steroid (I can't remember the name but it was one I took over 7 days or so), my gunky mouth was a lot better, and I was able to sleep through the night. I still wake up some nights or in the morning needing a good spit, but it is tons better than before I started that steroid. You might want to ask your doctor about something like that... Again, not sure if your mom can take it during treatment as it may interfere but worth asking about...

Hope this helps... LIke others have said, this will pass... tell your mom to hang in there and try to stay hydrated and nurished as well as possible...