Dry Mouth

I was wondering, to anybody who has celiac, how long was it before any of you got diagnosed? Months? Years? I’m asking this because, well, I just diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder (ehlers danlos syndrome), and my WBC count was slightly elevated (10.9) and my celiac levels were slightly elevated. My blood pressure keeps getting lower but my doctor who diagnosed me (who is also a geneticist and specializes in rare genetic conditions) said that it was probably due to EDS. I have mucus that comes out w/o stool, clothes are looser but the scale says I weigh the same that I’ve always weighed, muscle cramps, joint pain, tingling and numbness in fingers, toes, etc…I’ve always had rotten egg burps/vomiting episodes/dizzy spells ever since I was little, weird menstrual problems, vaginal dryness, dry eyes, dry mouth (on and off), etc…I DO haveoverly flexible joints, my skin is really stretchy, so I do know that I have EDS(classical type) and that it causes symptoms like this as well
But I’m wondering if it can be causing EVERYTHING I feel. I still feel like I might have sjogren’s syndrome or celiac or something, or I don’t know if I’m just being paranoid.

Anyway, how long did it take you guys before you were officially diagnosed with it? I’m kind of scared cause I’m wondering if my symptoms could be signs of small intestinal cancer. Although sometimes, my stomach problems will completely clear up, and then all of a sudden they’ll hit again (like a flare up). So my symptoms are basically intermittent, they’re never really constant or there every minute of everyday.
Also, I’m very paranoid about the tools they use for endoscopies. I was supposed to have one because I’m afraid they don’t sterilize them properly. Especially since I heard about that place in las vegas nevada with the used needles and stuff at the endoscopy center. Have any of you ever gotten a disease like HIV or hepatitis from unsterilized tools before? Or have you ever heard of someoen getting HIV from an unsterilized endoscope before?

Sorry for all the questions. Thank you!
One more thing. I get really bad acid reflux. I get heartburn and a gurgling in my throat. For a few days it went away for awhile. But then it came back. I’ve been getting GERD since last may. It has gotten worse. Once in awhile I’l have a break and it’ll go away for a few days.
I am now 20.

If you think you have celiac disease and don’t want to do the testing, then quit eating gluten containing products for 2-3 months and see what happens and how you feel. You could get your geneticist doctor to do a dna sample and get it sent off to analyze for the possiblility of celiac disease.
It can take an average of 8 years to get diagnosed for celiac disease just for your information. You may be reading too much medical literature and like a first year medical student feel like you are getting the symptoms of every disease and syndrome you read about.

I take antidepressants, & they make my mouth very dry. Someone just told me that she’s diabetic, & that’s what she experienced.

No . Its the anti depressants that do that. Usually the first sign is increased Thirst and hunger then increased urination.
Diabetes Type 1: Symtoms of type 2

In type 1, the pancreas stop producing insulin, due to autuimmune response or possibly viral attack on pancreas. In absence of insulin, body cells does not get glucose for producing ATP (Adenosin Triphosphate) units which results into primary symptom in the form of nausea and vomiting. In latter stage which leads to ketoacidosis in which body starts breaking down muscle tissue and fat for energy, there is consequently fast weight loss. Dehydration is also usually observed due to electrolyte disturbance. In advance stages even coma and death, are being witnessed.

Diabetes Type 2:

* Increased fatigue : Due to inefficiency of cell to metabolise glucose, reserve fat of body is metabolised to gain energy. When fat is broken down in the body, it uses more energy as compared to glucose, hence body goes in negative calorie effect, which results in fatigue.
* Polydipsia : As the concentration of glucose increases in the blood, brain receives signal for diluting it and in its counteraction we feel thirsty.
* Polyuria: Increase in urine production is the result seen when excess of glucose is present in body. Body tries to get rid of the extra sugar in the blood by excreting it through the urine. This can also lead to dehydration because excreting the sugar which carries a large amount of water out of the body along with it.
* Polyphegia : The hormone insulin is also responsible for stimulating hunger. In order to cope up with high sugar levels in blood, body produces insulin which leads to increased hunger.
* Weight flactuation : Factors like loss of water (polyuria), glucosuria , metabolism of body fat and protein may lead to loss of weight. Few cases may show weight gain due to increased appetite.
* Blurry vision : Hyperosmolar hyperglycemia nonketotic syndrome is the condition when body fluid is pulled out of tissues including lenses of eye, which affects the ability of lenses to focus resulting in blurry vision.
* Irritability : It is one of the sign of high blood sugar because of the inefficient supply of glucose to brain and other body organs, which makes us feel tired and uneasy.
* Infections : Certain signals from the body is given whenever there is fluctuation of blood sugar (due to suppression of immune system) by frequent infections of fungal or bacterial like skin infection or UTI (urinary tract infection).
* Poor wound healing : High blood sugar resists the flourishing of WBC, (white blood cell) which are responsible for body immune system. When these cells do not function accordingly, wound healing is not at good pace. Secondly, long standing diabetes leads to thickening of blood vessels which may affect proper circulation of blood in different body parts.

I have horrible bad breath in the morning and it continues through the day. I don’t usually eat in the morning but I brush my teeth AND my tounge hard and with lots of toothpaste but it comes back 2 or 3 hours later. Help?

You may have post nasal drip that adds to the bacteria already in your mouth. While you are sleeping your mouth is dry and the bacteria thrive which is why you wake up with bad morning breath. Commercial toothpaste and mouthwash actually make your breath worse too. Read this free e-book which explains in detail the causes of bad breath and how to get rid of it for good. You won’t wake up with morning breath at all.

What genetic health testing do you do? What is it called and what is it testing for? What breed do you have and why do you test for it?

Thanks!
Yes I know of them, just interested to know what breeders test for and what breeds and why.
Do you do the tests on just the dogs you breed or the pups before also before they go to new homes? (not the OFA ones because I know they have to be 2 years old at least)

APBT and Rottweiler Health Testing:

I do not breed but I do have some knowledge to assist me when buying outside of a rescue. It also helps me keep breeders reputable. The following health testing is not specific to just APBT’s or Rottweilers as most diseases are not exclusive to just one specific breed.

True health-testing is in depth and seeks to identify carriers of crippling and increasingly common genetic diseases that are affecting our purebred dogs. Health-testing is a tool to help breed away diseases from the dogs that are carrying them.

The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) offers tests for hips, elbows, patellas (kneecaps), cardiac, thyroid, eyes, hearing, shoulders, some skin diseases, and a hip disorder commonly affecting small dogs. They also offer DNA testing. PennHip is another organization that offers hip testing, utilizing different methods than the OFA.

Hips are probably the top concern then cardiac, elbows and patellas are also important to a working breed and the remaining as above noted above.

The working drive and pain threshold is so high in this breed that afflicted dogs may work their hearts out without ever giving any indicator that they are unsound.

The APBT ranks 27th out of 142 breeds for hip dysplasia. 22.2% of our breed is dysplastic, versus only 4.8% excellent. That number is up more than 7% since 1990. (The AmStaff’s percentage of hip dysplasia dropped 9% during that same period.)

The APBT ranks 15th out of 82 breeds for elbow dysplasia. 14% of tested dogs are dysplastic.

Rottweiler Health Testing: (Same as above with the following)

A reputable breeder will have the hips and elbows of all breeding stock x-rayed and read by a recognized specialist. They will have paperwork to prove it.

They will also have certificates that their breeding animals do not have Entropian or Ectropian and that they have full and complete dentition with a scissor bite.

As with any species, hereditary conditions do occur in some lines. Potential purchasers should question breeders about any history of hereditary disease in their lines.

If over fed and /or under exercised Rottweiler’s are one of the breeds most prone to obesity. Some of the consequences of obesity can be very serious: arthritis, breathing difficulties, diabetes, heart failure, reproductive problems, skin disease, reduce resistance to disease and overheating caused by the thick jacket of fat under the skin

Ego, reputable breeders do health testing to “Better the Breed”!

Is there a holistic vet in the house?
Please help, I don’t want to give her chemicals.

Bad breath can be caused by a poor diet and accumulation of plaque on the teeth.

Have you looked at your dog’s teeth? I professional cleaning at the vet’s might do wonders.

Have you heard of the BARF diet for dogs? It’s fairly easy to do and getting some wholesome meat and vegetables into the dog’s diet is something you should consider. Chewing on chunks of meat and bone will keep your dog’s teeth in excellent condition and should eliminate bad breath problems.

I have quite severe dry eyes that are continually getting worse and have been baffling eye doctors for years now. I have punctal plugs in both my bottom and top eye lids, I’m on restasis, I use Thera Tears eye drops 20+ times a day, I have a humidifier running in my room on high constantly, and I am taking fish oil and flax seed oil… and my eyes are still doing horribly and getting steadily worse as they have been doing for the past 4+ years! The eye doctors I have visited say that my eyes don’t appear to be very dry at all, but since I have punctal plugs in my eye lids without having tears running down my face all the time proves that my eyes are pretty darn dry. The first eye doctors I went to couldn’t even tell I had dry eye and thought I had convergence insufficiency, which I now know isn’t the case. I can’t play video games at all because my eyes get too dried out after about 45 seconds to keep playing, and it’s very hard for me to read and I can’t most of the time because of my horrible dry eyes. I have another eye appointment in about two months (the only time I could work it in) and was wondering what I should talk to my eye doctor about, what could cause this to happen, and what more I can do to make my eyes more comfortable. I have spent hours on the internet looking for more ways to improve the state of my eyes and do all of them, and none help very much. I’m pretty sure I don’t have an autoimmune disease like Sjogren’s Syndrome (I don’t have dry mouth), lupis or anything like that. I have also had my thyroid check to see if that could have something to do with it, but it’s normal. What can I do? I’m getting desperate, please! I’m only 19 so this isn’t aging…

If you are using any drugs that would be my first guess.

If you use too much nasal spray it can actually make your nose run, so it seems possible that using too many eyedrops could cause your tear production to shut down. Also, if you take steroids your testosterone production shuts down. It seems logical that overwetting your eyes all the time could cause your own tear production to shut down.

It also might be a problem with the nerves of your eyes, not tear production. Your eyes don’t feel dry because they are dry, they feel dry because some nerves on the surface of your eye send signals to your brain. That might be why your doctors say that your eyes are not dry but they still feel very dry. Following this logic, it could also be a small focal seizure in your brain, but this is highly unlikely. It might be a purely neurological problem.

Get tested for Sjogren’s and for other common autoimmune disease markers- not every autoimmune disease presents in exactly the same way. That’s why they are sometimes hard to diagnose.

I am a trumpet player and when i am playing i often get dry mouth. Is there anything i can do to prevent this?

I have dry mouth from medication I take and my doctor told me to take "Xylimelts". They are tablets that melt in your mouth and stimulate saliva that you can buy in any pharmacy without a prescription.
You can also take "Salese" lozenges that do the same thing.
They also have spray and gel you can use too.
Check out the toothpaste section of any pharmacy.

My husband had four wisdom teeth pulled 4 months ago and I have noticed that his breath is very different and quite bad. I was wondering if that is normal, or could it mean something is wrong? I would also like to know if there is anything he can do about it, although he does not notice any difference.
My husband has always had what I consider to be rather bad oral hygeine habits, so I am not sure if this is contributing to the problem. He usually only brushes his teeth once a day, and for only about 30 seconds. He does not complain of any pain or tenderness and doesn’t seem to have any other symptoms.

that is not normal…. he may have something going on.
He can try to rinse with 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 3 parts warm water,then rinse well with water.Then mouth wash after..DO NOT swollow the peroxide sollution.
He could also try rinsing with warm water(4-6oz.) and 1 teaspoon of table salt.Rinse with mouthwash after.
If he has any tenderness,he may have a small sliver of tooth that remained,it could be popping up & down,causing just enough to allow an infection..he could also have some gum disease starting
Best bet is to see the dentist about it.

I get worried about my girlfriend because she doesn’t have health insurance. I am insured through my job, what are her options? Is there something she can sign up for? If she has health issues I want to know that she will be able to afford any necessary medical treatment. Thanks.

Financial assistance might be available. Certain government programs and nonprofit organizations can help. You can also discuss concerns about paying her medical bills with your health care provider, social worker or the business office of your clinic or hospital.
see

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/financialassistance.html

there are many more such resources at:

http://www.simplyinsurancequotes.com/links.php?id=ott0709

http://www.simplyinsurancequotes.com/links.php?id=ott0709

In public. It should be a crime punishable by a $100.00 fine for the first offense, 200.00 for the second, and then 30 days in jail.

We should let our voices be heard, and make this legislation pass in every state.

What is halitosis? No way.