Are there ways to help me swallow better?

Posted by mark1961 @mark1961, May 3, 2023

Hi I'm here to try and get some kind of help with my eating, since i don't make saliva it hurts for me to eat much. How do you all do this? Everything I eat makes my mouth dry and food to. I Have To take a sip of water then chew and swallow with a drink of liquid ori can't swallow. Any help will be so appreciated

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God bless you! Just a thought, ok? Have you been treated for dry mouth? A lot of medication can cause this. Also, have you seen a gastroenterologist to see if your esophagus needs dilaton? It's a simple procedure and it helps tremendously if food will not go down. I had it done and it did wonders for me. If I'm off base with your problem, I apologize.

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Speech therapists (speech and swallow) deal with this. Get a referral from your doc. I would do this before a GI or neuro consult.

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To this day since I have finished treatment in November I can't find ways to eat bread. My mouth is already dry and I can't swallow bread. I have tried everything I know even sips of liquid with each bite, I make no Sylvia so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know thanks

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@mark1961

To this day since I have finished treatment in November I can't find ways to eat bread. My mouth is already dry and I can't swallow bread. I have tried everything I know even sips of liquid with each bite, I make no Sylvia so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know thanks

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I have trouble with bread also. What was your treatment and what was it for?

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Welcome @mark1961. I moved your questions about dry mouth and eating to the Head & Neck Cancers support group. I did this so you can connect with helpful members like @hrhwilliam @ascc17 @mojo244 @ltecato @thomason who have had treatments for head and neck cancers.

You may also be interested in this related discussion:
- Saliva and dry mouth https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/saliva-and-dry-mouth/

I agree with @windyshores that a speech pathologist can be helpful.

Mark, what type of cancer were you treated for? Did you just finish radiation?

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Mark1961, I am so sorry when I replied back as I did not know that you had battled cancer. Praying for you. God Bless!

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@windyshores

I have trouble with bread also. What was your treatment and what was it for?

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Radiation and chemo for throat cancer

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@colleenyoung

Welcome @mark1961. I moved your questions about dry mouth and eating to the Head & Neck Cancers support group. I did this so you can connect with helpful members like @hrhwilliam @ascc17 @mojo244 @ltecato @thomason who have had treatments for head and neck cancers.

You may also be interested in this related discussion:
- Saliva and dry mouth https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/saliva-and-dry-mouth/

I agree with @windyshores that a speech pathologist can be helpful.

Mark, what type of cancer were you treated for? Did you just finish radiation?

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Throat cancer and tonsil cancer finished treatment in November of last year

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@mark1961

To this day since I have finished treatment in November I can't find ways to eat bread. My mouth is already dry and I can't swallow bread. I have tried everything I know even sips of liquid with each bite, I make no Sylvia so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know thanks

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Hey Mark,
I’m 6.5 years out from treatments.
As for saliva, I have none and appears that I never will.
I have tried prescription, mouth rinse, 3M spray, Xylitol and none help and also creates a gummy like substance to my mouth.
I drink water all day long and carry a water with me while outside.
I have a hard time carrying on conversations due to the extreme dryness.
I brush my teeth several times per day and also apply prescription fluoride toothpaste at least 3 times per day.
Eating bread was completely out of my diet up until about a year ago.
Bread is still extremely difficult but small bites can be washed down with liquid.
But actually, I wish I would have left bread right out of my diet because we don’t need it and it seems to make my joints ache.
I was only able to eat oatmeal for the first year but I survived.
As far as speech therapy, I found it to be a waste of time and money!
Just remember that everyone responds differently and you may start eating soon!
Best wishes

MOJO

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Thank you, I eat pretty good I found lots of stuff to eat just no bread and I love my sandwiches, I still have a real raspy voice sound like a frog but I'm blessed to be alive just looking for answer thank you so much for the information

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