Do you get "used to" the dryness? Newbie.

[Patze]

Hi KJ,

Are you by chance using straws?  It helps with my mouth.


Patze

[JJ]

My mother was reading an article that says green tea is suppose to help stimulate

and repair damage done to your moisture producing glands....not a big fan but

figure its worth a try and thought you may want to try as well...my mom figures

most people drink it anyway and its not a drug so it cant hurt....i said it can if it

just tastes horrible to ya....lol..Hope it helps.

JJ

[dbab]

Hi JJ,

There is flavored green tea bags at the grocery now.  I have a favorite brand but I won't name it here but I think there are a few brands now that flavor their green tea.  I particularly like the pomegranate green tea bags, smells wonderful too. 

[KJ]

I need to buy some straws, the problem with that, is that my kids love them, and it drives me crazy to find them all over the house.  I guess I should get used to it.  Thanks for reminding me!

[ktfabian]

Hi Dennis-

I'm another Sjoggie whose dryness fluctuates.  You've gotten a lot of great advice and I can only think of one thing to add -  Ayr saline nasal gel.

This comes in a tube or in individually packaged Q-tips with the gel already applied and can usually be found near the Afrin and other nasal sprays.  I find the tube is much more economical that the prepackaged type.  You just put a bit of gel on a Q-tip, then apply it to the inside of your nostrils and under your nose if it's dry. 

My current rheumie recommended this the first time I saw him because I had ulcers inside each nostril that were so bad, he said they were going to go through if I didn't do something. (He couldn't believe the rheumie I had been seeing let things get so bad.)  He recently recommended a Neti Pot, which is a saline nasal wash system that's supposed to help with allergies and dryness.  Just after I bought it, I ended up in the hospital with pneumonia, so I haven't tried it yet.  I know other people on the list have talked about them though, so maybe someone can say more, or you can do a search for past posts on Neti Pots.

I take Evoxac, which helps and I brush my teeth after every meal, which seems to me to help fight the dryness.  For my eyes, I use preservative-free eye drops.  I just tried Lacriserts, the little pellets you put in your eyes that are supposed to create moisture throughout the day, but I just couldn't get used to them.  I'd put them in at bedtime, and by 3 or 4am, my eyes would be so irritated, I had to fish them out.  For overall moisture, I have a humidifier running whenever the windows are shut, especially at night when I'm sleeping.

I hope you find some relief from your dryness.   I don't think we ever get used to it, but at least we find ways to help it not be as irritating as it can be without treatment.

Take care, Tracy