My husband has a problem at night with drooling. He will wake up and his pajama top and pillow will be quite wet. Does anyone have a suggestion of anything to do about it? His next doctor's appointment is not until February.
Sorry to hear what you are going through. I haven't seen a lot of this with Dementia residents in the facilities. There a few things to look at, and also speak to his doctor, and dentist to describe what is going on. Has he gone on any new medication recently, as in Blood Pressure medicine, antibiotics, pain medicine, etc., Medicine can cause lack of control in swallowing. If he is experiencing problems with any teeth, as in infection, tooth loss progression, tooth decay, these can cause problems. Is he using something like Biotene, in his mouth, that can cause extra saliva and drooling. With Dementia, one of the common things is difficulty swallowing and chewing, this might play a role. Also, as what Pstiegman, has mentioned, it might be a good idea to rule out a stroke, by speaking to his doctor and having him tested. Speaking to his doctor to see what exactly is going on is important, even an infection (virus, bacterial) can play a role. In the meantime, you can buy a bed protector pad, and place it under the sheets on his side of the bed, and buy a zippered pillow protector, to help. Hugs sent your way.
He's probably mouth-breathing and saliva will seep out his mouth. Has he been tested for sleep apnea? If nothing is happening medically, just keep a towel handy and wipe the saliva if you wake up. I don't think it is that serious, but ask his doctor to be sure. I don't know all his medical history, and I am not a doctor. Merry Christmas!
There are a number of diseases that can cause excess saliva production and there are medications to inhibit it. Talk to your doctor and see if this would be appropriate for him.
I havent heard of this one and I would call the doctor. I called for my Mom who now chews her tongue. He gave her a sedative so now she chews herself to sleep. does he chew in his sleep?
Drooling is very common in Lewy Body Dementia. (And probably other conditions -- I happen to know about LBD.) There is a built-up of fluid in the mouth as swallowing becomes less automatic.
This became very uncomfortable for my husband when he became bedbound and was on hospice. The hospice nurse put a patch behind his ear and it stopped being a problem. I think it was a motion sickness patch, one of whose side effects is a dry mouth. I think this is a prescription medication and in any case I would NOT suggest using something like this without the doctor's approval. It might be worth asking the doctor about this.
This became very uncomfortable for my husband when he became bedbound and was on hospice. The hospice nurse put a patch behind his ear and it stopped being a problem. I think it was a motion sickness patch, one of whose side effects is a dry mouth. I think this is a prescription medication and in any case I would NOT suggest using something like this without the doctor's approval. It might be worth asking the doctor about this.