Patty,
My tx ended 11-4-08, and I had a horrible time with thick mucous. I would sit on the couch and spit gobs and gob's of thick white mucous. I went through rolls of paper towels. I religiously took pilocarpine throughout txs and I'm still on the script, I think it helped. In early January I had horrible to no saliva at night. When I woke up in the morning I was so dry my throat would hurt(correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we have some very small saliva glands in our throats). I do know that tea mixed with honey or lemon helped me out a lot.
About 10 days ago I started taking a lot of vitamins and supplements...I don't know but just within the last two or three days my dry mouth at night time has not been that bad...here's my full list:
Meds:
Pilocarpine, saliva production
Vicodin, once in a while for pain, very rarely though
Propecia, my hair became very thin in a short amount of time through bad nutrition, stress and radiation. Hair is getting healthy again and my facial hair is also coming back. They all said that my hair would come back on it's own...I wanted an extra push, it's expensive and not covered by insurance because it's considered cosmetic. I'm still and a liquid diet, VHC and soups.
Fluoride gel, for use with trays
Fluoride toothpaste(scripted), for when I'm not able to use the trays, great for trips(I leave the trays at home)
OTC and Vitamins:
Benefiber, for fiber
Calcium & Magnesium, for bone health
Vitamin E, for cell repair
Omega 3, 6 & 9, anti-oxidants
CoQ10+, cells and oxygen
Zinc, my body needs it--I break out if I don't take it
ProMod liquid protein, for protein
Multi-vitamin
Colace, stool softener
Senna, laxative
Juven, for amino acids
VHC, 5 cans a day
Most of the above was added to my diet just within the last 10 to 14 days and I feel a lot better...I'm sure some of the above is not helping but I have no idea what is and what isn't...so until I'm eating regular meals again, these supplements will be in my diet. My energy level is up, my hair looks better, my skin looks better, saliva seems to be better, taste is getting better and I feel better except for some aches and pains that seems to come and go. Right now my biggest complaint is some pain near my ear and where the tumor was...I'm hoping it's just some more side effects from the radiation...We all have our fears.
Please consult your doctor(s) and nutritionist before taking anything
Like I said, I don't know what's working and what's not...but I have seen big improvements in the last 3 days or so and most of the products I started taking 10 to 14 days ago...So, I'm afraid to stop taking anything...I need a pill box!!...LOL
