Dry Mouth

Have been having really severe pain in the chest area since the holidays so went to see the doctor.
Doctor #1 at first told me I had an ulcer and gave me medication. Tested me for the bacteria, H. Pylori which was negative. Did nothing so I returned, he then told me it wasn’t an ulcer, it was costochondritis. I am taking Naproxen because of Sjogren’s Syndrome so he told me to continue taking it. Was getting better until last week. Just woke up and the pain was just as severe as it was when this all started. So, last saturday, went to a clinic to see other doctor…….
Doctor #2 says I do not have costo, I have acute gastritis. Told me to stop the Naproxen and gave me "Nexium…..started taking it yesterday, it helps with the pain but am having side effects which is dry mouth, increased heart beat. I already have extreme dry mouth because of the Sjogren so it was quite intolerable. Now, I am wondering if I should continue taking it or if I should return to taking losec like before which did nothing for the pain. I will know probably by next week, the proper diagnosis as the 2nd doctor is having me do blood work and a Barium Swallow. Any advice will be greatly appreciated as I am so sick of this pain:(

I would listen to 2nd doc. at least he is testing and looking further into it. My son has chronic stomach pain and it is tough. He has been on several stomach medicines. Maybe they can switch you to one that doesn’t dry your mouth. Giving up pop has helped also. Good luck with the tests.

weight changes (gain even w/ good diet & exercise) ; increased appetite; fluid retention
cold intolerance/feeling hot ; profuse sweating
bradycardia (slow heartbeat) /tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) / atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat)
anxiety; depression /mania; panic attacks; crying spells; moodiness
restlessness; nervousness; shakiness; irritability
low body temperature; low grade fever
fatigue, sluggishness; sluggish reflexes
migraines
hoarseness; feeling of fullness in the neck; small lump; difficulty swallowing
sleepiness (excessive) / insomnia
memory loss & decreased concentration; brain fog; confusion
speech problems (cannot call to mind simple words); slowed speech; slurring
Dizziness; breathlessness; lightheadedness; fainting; vertigo
eye discomfort, redness, dryness ; sensitivity to light; bulging eyes; Vision changes
constipation/diarrhea; IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
dry, coarse hair; hair loss (even eyebrows)
brittle nails; splitting nails
pale, dry skin; rashes; cool skin / warm, moist skin
puffy face
Dry mouth
joint & muscle pain, tenderness & stiffness; muscle weakness ; cramps
Painful feet
Neck pain
ear wax build up; Ear pain
Cholesterol – high LDL, low HDL, high triglycerides
chest pain
swelling of the legs & in knees & small joints of hands & feet
numbness, tingling in extremities
Swollen glands
persistent cold sores, boils, or breakouts
allergies that suddenly appear or get worse
bruising & clotting problems
Stroke like symptoms
carpal tunnel like symptoms
high blood pressure
reactive hypoglycemia
Sleep apnea
yeast infections
UTI’s
TMJ (temporal mandibular joint syndrome)
pernicious anemia (A deficiency of the oxygen-carrying red blood cells)
amnosia (smell smoke)
Vitiligo–A disorder in which the immune system destroys pigment-making cells called melanocytes. This results in white patches of skin on different parts of the body.
PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome)
infertility ; menorrhagia (excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding); low libido

some may have opposite of some of these depending whether currently hypO or hypER

I had many of those symptoms before I started taking thyroid medication.

im a 21 year old male, i exercise and eat healthy.

I have had swollen parotid glands for over a year and a half now, they seem to swell at random times and are not painful except for the odd shooting pain in the gland and soreness of the duct.
The duct where the saliva enters my mouth becomes enlarged but only sometimes , ive found that a gluten free diet helps but they rarely go down completely. i dont really have a dry mouth or dry eyes so i dont think its sjogrens syndrome (usually in people ages 40+) but not sure, any ideas what could be causing this? i saw a specialist had a sialogram but nothing was out of the ordinary. it’s really getting me down as i used to have a thin face but now it looks very rounded and deformed especially in certain light (to me anyway). I’m at my wits end any help would be hugely appreciated

My father had this problem in his later years and a diagnosis was never made.
I have seen people have one parotid removed, but not both.

if the sialogram revealed nothing I guess that rules out mechanical blockage like stones.

Another cause of parotitis is infection – viral or bacterial.
"Chronic bacterial infection may occur on a background of a gland previously damaged by stones" ? apply to both?

I would suggest seeing an ENT surgeon, see if s/he can track anything down.

our old one we used for over a year with rusty water coming out into the warm/hot water. We just bought a new one a week ago. I am wondering if there would still be rust in our water as in did it stay in the pipes of the house? We have copper pipes……. I dont see any rust. My mouth (tongue) taste metallic, but that could be due to the dry mouth syndrome I have.

why would your mouth taste metallic…are you drinking from the hot water tap?
no there wouldnt be rust in the water after the appliance had been changed…you only needed to run the water for about a minute for any debris to pass.

copper doesnt rust so theres no issue there.
unless the utility company has been carrying out any work on the mains I wouldnt worry about it.

I’m always thirsty/. I have dry mouth syndrome. Some members of my family think it is rude. I do not. I think it is a necessity because we don’t always get seated right away and then I’m stuck without a drink for maybe a half hour. I get these terrible hiccups that hurt, and water is the only cure. So, why should I leave my water bottle in the car?

I really do want to know your opinion. Thanks for your thoughts in advance.

Everyone I know carries bottles of water with them wherever they go. My grandma carries enough for both of us, just to be sure.

In fact, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t carry a water bottle.

I know what dry mouth is because my grandma has it. It is due to the many pills she has to take to stay alive. I’d get water for her anywhere because sometimes she can’t even talk when her mouth is stuck together. I feel bad for her. I’d rather have her alive than dead because she didn’t take her pills.

I like legitimately will not have to go to the bathroom for a long time (longer than two weeks.). And eventually when it comes time to go it’s bad, really bad. Like I have to stay home from school all day bad, and I get cramps before it starts.

I’ve tried to see if it was just the foods I eat, but I could eat anything (lactose, gluten, and fiber rich foods included) at any time, but that wouldn’t trigger anything. It just always happens to randomly!

I haven’t experienced any weight loss, but after I finally go, I lose about three pounds, so I suppose I’m somewhat bloated at other times. Also, my mouth gets really dry when I go too.

My doctor told me to take Miralax, and I’ve been taking it, but it does absolutely nothing (I’ve been taking it for a while).

My mom has IBS. This isn’t a recent problem, I’ve had it my whole life. I’m not overweight, I have no other medical issues. Is the IBS or something else?

IBS is genetic but typically only along the female line in your family. You could have Crohn’s, IBS, or somethign else. Knowing the pain you refer to (for another reason) regarding BM’s, you should really go through an Upper GI series and lower GI series to figure it out. The other fun option is a colonoscopy.

I’m 16, and I was just reading symptoms of it, and I have dry eyes and a really dry mouth? help

If you truly have dry eyes and mouth, then it is certainly possible that you could have Sjogren’s syndrome. Sjogren’s syndrome usually occurs later in life, but it is still possible at your age. There are also other medical conditions that can lead to dry mouth and eyes. You will have to be evaluated by your doctor to determine if you have Sjogren’s syndrome or not. Blood tests can also be performed to evaluate for this.

i have been experiencing an extremely dry throat for a very long time. Actually for about 3 years. My throat is so so dry and I can not do anything to fix the problem. Drinking water does not help, it feels like there is a dry patch in my throat. It looks like I have little puss pockets in my throat as well but I’m not too sure. Also around this time 3 years ago I started experiencing very severe headaches and heart pain. Those last two peoblems seemed to go away, but I do get the painful headaches every once in awhile. The heart pain comes back too. The heart pain doesn’t seem to feel like it would be acid reflux- it seems to be more in my heart. My room mates have told me I breathe very deeply when I sleep, and for the past 3 months I have been experiencing shortness of breath. This shortness of breath does NOT come when my "heart" hurts. I also recently have experienced burning mouth syndrome that will not go away. About a month ago I started waking up extremely tired and fatigued and I am like this all day long. It’s getting more difficult to function in every day life because I’m always so exhausted. My legs feel very weak. I have swollen armpit glands that itch. I have very dry eyes especially late at night and blurred vision. My nails are weak. I also seem to be experiencing sore joints. These last symptoms have begun about a month ago. I have also had very cold hands and feet my entire life. Does anyone know my problem???? I’m very scared and only 20 years old. Please help! Thanks

As I was reading your questions I found it amazing that you were describing the symptoms of a young coworker, Janet had been experiencing. She was 22 years old and had spent over two years with these symptoms. She went to many different doctors and they all seemed to have different ideas and prescribed several different medications, all with little or no effect. Janet was getting worse, she had started to miss work more and more due to her ailment, she was getting desperate. For the past few months I have been adjusting my own lifestyle and following information found in the book "Your not sick your thirsty." written by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj.You mention that you have tried drinking water to try to overcome your dry throat. The information in this book goes beyond just drinking water. I describes how to totally rehydrate your body but more importantly it gives ways of replenishing depleted salts and minerals that have been washed out of your system. As I said Janet was willing to try anything. So following the advice found in the book she increased her water intake to a bit over a gallon per day. The books tells how to do it at the right times during the day. But it’s not just water, he tells you that you have to find Celtic style unprocessed sea salt. This is filled with many different minerals that help the body repair itself. The hydration doesn’t happen over night, but after 3 weeks she started to see improvement. It has now been about six months and her symptom had all but disappeared. She has not missed work for over four months, she looks healthier she says that she is feeling better than she has in years. Because she has been drinking more water she had stopped drinking sodas and for the most part coffee, which also may have helped her.I drink about 1 1/2 gallons – six liters per day and I know myself since I have seen many changes in my own body. I am in my late 50′s and I have always had patches of eczema that I have tried every know ointment there is with no effect. Within two months of starting the water treatment it has all disappeared. There has been so many positive changes in my body as well as the changes Janet has gone through. We now have six coworkers on the water cure and have all seen major improvements. One of them has always used an inhaler for his asthma since he was a child, he hasn’t had to use it for the last two months.
I hope this information helps you, even if it doesn’t help with all of your symptoms, I am sure it will improve your lifestyle.
You can try this method and it will be a benefit to you over all but I must add that no matter what you try you need to see a Doctor to rule out the possibility of something more serious.
Good Luck.

Hi- I am 20 years old and concerned with my health. Before I consult a doctor, I want to go in having an idea what my problem could be. About 4 years ago, I got a sore on the side of my tongue. It didn’t bother me too bad, and it wasn’t very visible. For the past 4 years this sore comes and goes, (it can be on both sides of my tongue) it really is not too disturbing though.It does not even look like a sore, but I can usually feel it when it comes. I feel it probably about once a month for a couple days. I looked this up and discovered this could be from an auto-immune disorder. At about that time, I started suffering severe headaches. The pain has pretty much gone away. Two years ago, I started experiencing a dry throat- didn’t think it was too much of a problem. However recently, I have very swollen lymph nodes in my armpits. I have very dry mouth- (i actually have burning tongue syndrome). My throat is very dry. My eyes are extremely dry and feel like sand paper! i have been experiencing some blurred vision. My dry eyes actually began about 1 1/2 years ago. I figured this was just from my contacts, but it has been getting progressivley worse and now my dry eyes bothers me every single day. I have had dry hair my entire life. I have some sore throats and heart pains. For the past month, I have felt extremely tired and fatigued. I feel like I can’t get up in the morning and it is very difficult to function throughout the day. The exhaustion I have been experiecing is depressing. I have gone a complete month with no relief of this fatigue. Even if I get 10 hours of sleep in a night, I still wake up tired and fatigued. My joints are starting to get pretty sore- i notice this most at night before bed. I’ve been really worried about all this, I know I need to go to a doctor and I will- but I would like some opinions please!! Also….when I was young I had LOTS of cavities. I had about 8 cavities on my baby teeth. And now I have about 4 cavities. I haven’t had a cavity in about 5 years or so though. I know this could also be a sign on Sjogren’s Syndrome. I have no family memebers who have had Sjogren’s Syndrome that I know of.

Sjogren’s Syndrome is rare, especially at age 20 (but certainly not impossible). Sjogren’s often does overlap with other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus so it’s important to get a full autoimmune blood test work-up if you suspect any autoimmune disease.

Although you may think that your symptoms all line up with Sjogren’s, keep in mind that your symptoms could simply be a combination of one or more of the following: (1) normal human stuff, (2) allergies, (3) residual growing pains/overexertion, (4) a virus, (5) poor dental health, (6) needing a new contacts prescription…and most of all (7) stress. Or it could be something else entirely.

Only a qualified medical doctor can tell you if you have Sjogren’s or not. ****No one here on Yahoo Answers is qualified to diagnose you.****

Go ahead & make an appointment for a doc right now. By delaying making an appointment, you’re causing yourself unnecessary grief. You should go to see your primary care doctor in the next few days so you can get some peace about this.

To prepare for your appointment, on a piece of paper, make a nice list of all your symptoms and any questions or concerns you may have. Make two copies: keep one for yourself and give one to your doc.

Here are some blood tests you might want to ask about:
- ANA (anti-nuclear antibody test)
- rheumatoid factor
- anti-SM
- anti-centromere
- anti-dsDNA (double-stranded DNA)
- SS-A
- SS-B
- ESR

These are basic autoimmune/inflammation blood tests that will help clarify RA vs. Sjogren’s vs. Lupus/SLE (not that any of them are possible to diagnose just from a blood test). Your doctor may want to run ANA first, see how that turns out and then use that to decide if he/she runs anything else. If your primary care doc seems oblivious about autoimmune disease and/or these tests, ask for a referral to a rheumatologist.

You should also see your ophthalmologist about your blurred vision, dry eyes and headaches. If you’re concerned about Sjogren’s, ask for a Schirmer’s test. In this test, they put little pieces of paper in your eye and see how wet it gets. Based on how many millimeters of wetness you have, that lets them know if you have Sjogren’s level of dryness or not.

Obviously, you need to see a dentist and get those cavities filled. A qualified dentist can check your saliva output. There are specific Sjogren’s levels of mouth dryness. Sometimes it might feel like you have a dry throat when it’s just irritated from drainage or allergies. Mention your mouth ulcers as well (which can have many causes). Meanwhile, are you brushing regularly and flossing daily? Using cavity-fighting mouthwash? Avoiding sugary foods? Avoiding spicy foods that cause mouth ulcers?

I can tell you one thing for sure: you are stressing yourself out too much (I can tell because I’ve done the same thing!!). Reading about autoimmune diseases will make you far more anxious, nauseated, tired, depressed and focusing on every little symptom. Most autoimmune articles focus on worst-case-scenarios and don’t talk about the fact that many people with autoimmune disorders live happy, reasonably healthy lives. I have a friend who’s 50 who has lupus, fibromyalgia, GERD, bipolar disorder, lactose intolerance, migraines, IBS, TMJ, celiac disease and a bunch of other stuff. She’s living an active life and is doing just fine. I have another friend with MS who’s doing great. And, her mom has had MS since she was in her 20′s and is now in her 60′s and is doing fine. Don’t let the yucky stuff on the web scare you.

Seriously, you’ve got to stop reading stuff on the web about it for now. *If* something comes back positive, then spend time researching.

Any rheumatologist will tell you that stress only makes autoimmune diseases worse. So, if you do have something, you’re making yourself worse by worrying about it. If you don’t have anything, then you’ve caused yourself a lot of grief for nothing and you’ve wasted your time. Take a break from researching. Do something fun. Get your mind off it. Pray & trust God that everything will work out for the best.

I have MANY symptoms pointing to something systemic, connective tissue involved or auto immune… especially similar to lupus, mixed connective tissue disease, scleroderma, dermomysotitis, sarcoidosis, lyme disease,lymphoma, skin cancer etc………all blood tests normal so far accept slightly low blood sugar and 1positive towards lyme 9but you need a few positive to go in that direction according to dr’s…. so does this not make any sense? shouldn’t blood work show some markers of disease especially if i have symptoms of this severity??? or are there somethings you can just never know!?? ……………….so confused!!!!
symptoms vary greatly and im getting no def answers after switching dr’s time and again seeing specialists and researching ,myself(which is relentless)
i have symptoms of:
Renaud’s syndrome, alopecea, circulatory problems(painfull swollen vessels causing hives!broken blood vessels), skin problems(acne, wounds wont heal, blood vessels leaving marks, hives), hard lymph nodes in groin as well as swollen tender lymph nodes EVERYWHERE!, weird lump type feeling inside throat(went to ENT saw rawness w/ scope but no answers) itchyness(especially scalp), DRY SKIN, W/ PURPLE ROUGH PATCHES OVER KNUCKLES THAT SOMETIMES ULCERATE, shiny tight skin on hands, many oral changes (pale coloring in several areas, red sore like marks,white lines that come and go, inflammation under tongue and on the sides in the back of tongue and inside cheeks, bumpy lining of cheeks and where my gums connect to my bottom lip w/ pronounced veins, extremely dry mouth w/ white coating–not Candida’s and its almost like my tongue and cheeks are bigger or my mouth is smaller bc i get teeth marks on my tongue and have been noticing the inside of my cheeks are in the way and i bite them more often) also: swollen pain full knees and ankles(tested neg forRA), GASTRITIS(after endoscopy), heavy periods w/ blood clots, swollen vulva and cervix(cervix has cysts that have grown rapidly)
Also ive noticed that the structures of my face have changed___ALL OF A SUDDEN !! i cant smile the way i used to my eyes are more buldging like and the creases in my face are diminishing!! its starting to cause depression and anxiety about leaving the house… please help
~~~tested neg for :LYME, RA, CELIAC, HIV, CLAMYDEA, GONORRHEA, STREP, O AND P(STOOLS), ALL BASIC CBC AND BLOOD WORK NORMAL!
I DO HAVE HYPOTHYROID AND IN 1995 I HAD A LARGE BENIGN TUMOR REMOVED FROM THE CONNECTIVE TISSUE IN MY CHEST

demand cat scan for poss sarcoidosis in lymph nodes