Dry throat and unable to quench thirst. - Oesophageal & Gas...

Oesophageal & Gastric Cancer

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Dry throat and unable to quench thirst.

Jusjust profile image
7 Replies

My husband is really struggling to quench his thirst, obviously he is unable to drink a pint of water in one go now due to the operation, does anybody else suffer with this and have any useful tips to quench thirst. Thanks.

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Jusjust profile image
Jusjust
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7 Replies
SteveJ profile image
SteveJ

Hi Jusjust

Just an Idea, what about chewing gum or Opal Fruits I think they are called starburst now. Something that makes you salivate would help with a dry mouth. Or try different drink's to quench the thirst, I find tea work's better for me than say orange juice, experimentation is the answer I think. Hope this is of some help.

Kind Regards

Steve

valruss profile image
valruss

My husband is three and a half months post oesphagectomy and quenches his thirst with a small glass of half diet lemonade and half water. Hope you find a solution soon.

Chaskell profile image
Chaskell

How about water mixed with Ribena and taste free protein added for good measure. A glass of water with a solution of 1X teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and a knife point of salt is a good mouth gargle and is helpful for keeping the mouth moist and fighting fungus Keep us updated, please. Regards. Charles

strangetimes profile image
strangetimes

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice and water ? Water with a couple of slices of cucumber ?

I like Volvic Cloudy Lemon Water - Tescos and some newsagents sell it .

Lollies ? I see Callipo now do a Lychee one as well as the standard orange .

I think fruit juices which are a little tart - Ocean Spray Blueberry ,or a cranberry one are refreshing . Ribena comes into this category .

Or that old standby ,tea ?

Good luck . It's such a pain trying to find out what works drink and food wise isn't it .

ian-james profile image
ian-james

Hi Justjus

I find ice lollies are pretty good at quenching your thirst without overloading your digestive system with too much liquid.

kind regards

Ian

Jusjust profile image
Jusjust

Thanks everybody for your suggestions, I will be busy trying them out on my husband, will let you know which ones work.

gutlesswonder profile image
gutlesswonder

The test of dehydration (or not) is the volume/condition of urine passed.

In the comfort stakes tooth/mouth hygiene are v important -- particularly since all the normal natural protective flora have been disrupted by chemo and post-op antibiotics.

I swear by "UltraDEX" oral rinse , expensive but much cheaper than endless dentistry.Maintaining the ability to chew really thoroughly is vital , given the perils of choking.

Also be aware that the body's calcium balance may well be prejudiced leading to rapid loss of tooth condition as well as bone density.

I find it helpful to suck a sugar-free Strepsil before going to sleep , it minimizes sore throat and croakiness the next morning.