Any Suggestions for No Tears and No Saliva?

[SSandy]

Do Tear Duct Plugs work if you have no tears? 
I am  3 1/2 months out from AN surgery with no tear function at all and no saliva on right side.
I use Celluvisc every 1 - 2 hours, but when I am around air conditiioning, particularly, commercial places like restaurants, malls, grocery stores, I can't stand it for more than 20 or thirty minutes.  Once the eye gets hurting, it takes "hours" to feel better.  Also reading on the computer for than 1 - 2 hours causes the same problems.  Does anyone else experience these problems?  I wear a moisture chamber to help, but it creates condensation that blurrs my visiion. 

Also I am taking Salagen to help increase saliva from the working glands, but my gums are still receeding!  The gums appear healthy and not bleeding, but they are receeding.  Any suggestions on what I can do further besides, brush, floss, rinse, chew gum, and take the Salagen?  Any advise would be welcome!  Thanks.

[tony]

I understand the sensation you describe re the eye.
- You should check this one with the doc just in case your meds
are different to mine (UK vs. USA etc)
For daytime I use the daytime eye stuff but also
I add a small amount of the nightime stuff right on the inside edge
of the affected eye (and smooth it across)
Too much and you cant see - Too little and theres little benefit
Then I  put the normal daytime stuff in
I have found that TV/Computer/driving times can be extended
by many hours by improving the mix this way
It really is a trial and error approach - I have a small mirror
to help with the application.
Oh, and sunglasses help with wind or airflow from aircon.
I am considering "clear" glasses for winter use
Good Luck
and best regards
Tony

[Raydean]

Check with your dentisr regarding the decreased salivia.  Salivia helps to protect the teeth from cavities, so a decrease can be a big problem, infact dental problems could occur on a faster timeframe.  I know that there are rinses and pastes that can be prescribed by your dentist that will give additional protection to your teeth.  Not sure what it'd do for the gums.  But it is something that I'd bring up to him/her

About the only other thing I've heard mention is using a water pick and that some on the list has found it  better (especially if the mouth has any numbness) to use a Sonic Care type tooth brush.

Best to you
Raydean

[Rc Moser]

yes, I experienced dry eye up to about 9 ot 10 months, First 3 or 4 months was terrible. I too wore the eye patch when out in the wind or cold. and when my eye dried out. IMO it takes time for your 8th nerve to come back. I don't know what nerve controls saliva, but it probably very weak right now (do a search on 12 crainal nerves of the brain to see which one controls salvia), some have over active saliva glands. Guess it depends on how the nerves are tampered with during the operation IMO of the out come we get during recovery.

In my case any air movement dried my eye out and the cold weather made it much worse. Took my eye about 15 months to start watering any at all. and even today after amost three years in varily keeps up. Car a/c, fans, wind, or any air movement dried it out. Hopely yours will come back to life much faster than mine. I had a 4.5 to 4.7CM AN and probably been pushing on nerves for 15 years. I still see some little improvements, but have no lift on my left side, but on a good note I don't have any noticeable sag right now. But, gravity and age will probably change that!

[Boppie]

Biotene toothpaste really helps allieviate the discomfort of drymouth at night.  Of course drymouth will be a problem if your mouth stays open during sleep, but I am assuming this is not the issue.  At seven months I still have to avoid tartar control and baking soda pastes as those aggravate oral tissue as well.

For the pain in eyes out of doors, I used wrap-around sun shades.   

[Gennysmom]

Check with your dentist....mine gave me some prescription toothpaste (prevident) to use even before I had surgery because I knew the trigeminal nerve was involved.  She also recommended that I use a flouride rinse.  I ended up getting the new Reach Act Restoring one.  Be wary, dry mouth can cause cause cavities and worse VERY quickly, so look for things to help protect rather than make you comfortable.  Oh, and also chew sugar free gum or have sugar free candies to help with saliva production.