Dry Mouth

At 9 p.m. on October 17, 2020, I developed a side effect.  I can pinpoint the time because I was driving home from what used to be my monthly visit to NYC to see R’el and Peter & family.

I noticed a cut at the tip of my tongue and abrasions on the sides of my tongue. I compulsively rubbed my tongue across my teeth. For the next two and a half months it bothered me. At my regular appointment in January, the dentist assured me it was nothing serious. There were no visible cuts or abrasions. The tongue was ‘shiny,’ which indicates irritation. It was dry mouth. He recommended a mouth rinse and a gel. I left the office swimming in placebo effect. Hearing that it wasn’t fatal and was treatable eased my mind. I’d never had a sore for over two months.

I bought a few products and experimented with them. The symptoms waxed and waned. Back in the Bronx, with Jim, for Presidents’ Day, I woke up at 5:28 a.m. Unable to go back to sleep, I googled dry mouth. It’s a usually a defect of the salivary glands. Neck radiation can cause it. Most often, it is medication-induced. Lithium blocks a neurotransmitter that controls the salivary glands, and thus can cause dry mouth.

Although I was on lithium for seven years after I was first diagnosed, and had been back on it for over eight months without a problem, it seems it must be a drug side effect.

Being able to visualize the problem helped deal with it.

I always thought dry mouth was a wimpy complaint. Just drink more water. I mentioned it in my support group and discover another member had dry mouth. Because of her career choice, which involves a lot of public speaking, she had changed medications. I decided to work harder at overcoming it.

It’s not thirst. Drinking water moisturizes my mouth, but as soon as I swallow I'm dry again, even drinking two quarts of water a day. I noticed that my mouth feels good when I first wake up. My saliva is slightly thicker then and it coats my tongue and mouth. The mouth rinse is viscous as well, the gel even more so.

After a Zoom meeting Jim pointed out that I make funny noises and move my mouth in an unbecoming way. It seemed impossible to stop: my mouth is constantly irritated. But, I don’t want to be the weird woman who is always sucking her teeth and pursing her lips. So I went on a campaign. I sipped water constantly. I found a mouth care kit: a mouth rinse, gel, and a small spray bottle. I stopped swiping my tongue against my teeth. After about a week, the cut on my tongue disappeared. There is still one tender spot, on the gum inside my front teeth. I’ve burned it countless times since childhood, usually while biting into a hot, cheesy pizza. I’m sure the tissue is permanently damaged and more susceptible to injury. I compulsively suck it.

I'm using the spray bottle often. Sugarless cough drops occupy my tongue, so I laid in a supply of sugarless cough drops and candies.

It’s a small problem. But it feels good to have some control and fight it.