I am two weeks post surgery. One thing that has been bugging me now that I'm on pureed food....dryness of mouth after eating. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to hydrate your mouth since you aren't supposed to drink for a half hour or so before and after your "meal"? I am experienceing the bad taste/dry mouth thing even after my protein drinks.

:bored: I was having the same problem, my mouth was dry and my throat hurt as well. I told my surgeon at my 1 week check up and was told I wasn't drinking enough water. I know you can't drink before and after you "eat" but make sure you get plenty of H2O during the day and it should get better for you.

Good luck and hang in there....what a great journey you've embarked upon. :smile2:

Joanie )

Sometimes, I just want to refreshen my mouth after eating. Altoids makes a small wintergreen mint that's sugar-free that I really like. A Tic-Tac or some other small sugar free mint may help as well. It gets the saliva flowing a bit, so your mouth doesn't feel dry. Keeping very well hydrated between meals, as Joanie mentioned, is a huge help.

Thanks Joanie. You are right. I am struggling to get as much water in as they want me to. I never was a big water fan, and diet non-carbonated drinks too often have Splenda/sucralose in them. That stuff makes me violently ill. I never know which end to stuff in the toilet when I accidentally get some of that in me. :bored:

Thanks Kiz. I was hoping someone would say that a tic tac would be OK. I know I'm not supposed to have gum, but I'm not fond of gum anyhow, so no great loss.

If you just want to moisten your mouth you could get some mouth swabs from a drug store. You just run water over it and the wipe the inside of your mouth with it - make sure you get most of the water out though - sucking the mouth swab dry would defeat the purpose of not drinking after a meal!

I vote for dehydration! I keep a glass of Water at hand all the time. I drink water consistently right up to the time I eat my meal, do not drink with my meal or for 30 minutes after. Then I immediately start drinking again. At first it was a little harder than I thought it would be but you do reach a point where you actually crave the water if you aren't drinking it.

Note that I said I drink right up until the time I eat my meal. I was told by my doc that as long as I stopped about 5-10 minutes before I prepared my meal, I was fine.

Things I do to make sure I get in plenty of water. (1) I mix up a large container of water (equal to two drink bottles full) with a package of Crystal Light, with a tablespoon of Benefiber and my dissolvable Vitamin and I drink that in the car on the way to work. Finish it at my desk if I have to to but the longer I do that, the more I find I have finished it before I get to my office. (2) I keep a glass of iced water on my desk at all times, next to me on the couch when I'm sitting or the stove when I'm cooking and even by the bedside. If it's close at hand you will drink at least some of it. (3) If I'm going to be out and about for a good period of time, I take bottled water with me and at least drink part of the bottle while out.

I used to be a terrible Diet Coke addict, drank it constantly, to the tune of at least a couple of cases a week. Water doesn't taste nearly as nice but I got over it. Now I find that water suits me just fine. It's just an adjustment, I guess.

I 100% agree with Cathy! You need to get your 64oz of water daily! I ended up in the ER with bad dehydration and in a LOT of pain because of it. I keep a bottle with me at all times and I drink with a straw. It goes in a lot quicker and easier that way. And it's true... once you get use to drinking it (about a week for me), you'll crave it when you don't get it. I don't use any flavoring, as my tastes have changed, so I just drink plain water, but flavors are fine. Good luck, girl!

Edited September 22, 200916 yr by bdbmamaw

Thank you all. I deeply appreciate all th help. I do have a question for you bdbmamaw..I was told not to drink form a straw. Is that forever, or just for a little while after the surgery?