odd question - CPAP-related...

Ok - so I'm still using my CPAP machine, even though I didn't take it with me on vacation.  Just haven't gotten aroudn to having another sleep study, and it is actually refreshing at this point.  Weird, I know, but I figure that if I don't mind it, it can't hurt to continue using it for a while, eh?

Anyway, ever since my surgery (and recently, every night several times a night), I wake up with INCREDIBLY dry mouth.  I'm not talking "cotton mouth" - I'm talking lips cemented to the teeth and tongue cemented to the roof of the mouth.  It actually wakes me up and I then have to consciously produce enough saliva to pry the lips and tongue apart.

I sleep with my mouth closed (and that's how I wake up this way - mouth closed).

I'm clueless as to why this is... it literally started about a week after my surgery.  I mentioned it to Dr. P and she had no clue and had never heard of it before.  I'm going to ask my dentist at some point (I have an appt next month).  But I figured I'd ask here first.  

Anyone experience this?  Have any clues how to stop it?

Karen

Does your cpap have a humidifier in it? Sometimes my mouth does the same thing when I turn the humidifier off on my cpap machine.

Yep - it has the humidifier, I have it set on the same setting I've always used and it seems to be using up the distilled water appropriately every night.  I checked that because I thought maybe it was malfunctioning somehow. 

K.

I also am suffering from the same thing! No clue as to why tho!

Karen, I've been experiencing the same thing, also since about a week after surgery. I called the med supply company, thinking the machine was malfunctioning. I was told to put the humidifier on the highest setting and to try to keep the hose under the covers. I also bought a "hose cozy" but I'm not sure it does much to insulate it. I've wondered if the air conditioning was affecting the moisture in the tube, but the AC was turned on before I had surgery. Try turning your humidifier up all the way and keeping the hose covered. Sometimes this makes a difference for me. Good luck!!! Julia

Interesting!  nice to know i'm not alone. 

I'll try turning the humidifier up - although when I've accidentally done that (when cleaning and dusting) I've ended up with a pond of water in the tube and it making a really loud annoying noise... and bubbling water at my nostrils.  Not fun - but worth a try again. 

Thanks!
Karen

I've always had a problem with a dry mouth - more so after surgery - but I have problems with sinus' allergies, things like that - so most of the time it's "my problem".  I also don't use cpap.  I'm surprised it changed after surgery for you.

Good luck on finding a solution!

Pam

Karen - Chris has the same thing happen to him - but he won't use the humidifier so I blame that. seems to be worse in the summer when the AC is on.  I can't imagine this is fun and hope that you get an answer and resolve this quickly!!

Karen, I am experiencing the same thing. This never happend before surgery,  Mine started about a month ago.  I have tried using the humidifier and not using it.
It has gotten to the point of really interrupting  my sleep   I do keep a bottle of water next to my bed.    Any all suggestions are welcome.

Thanks for asking this questions

ellen

Karen - the same exact thing happened to me.  I hate to use it as an excuse, but I really do attribute my lack of use to the dry mouth issue.  And it doesn't matter how high the humidifier is set at - still dry mouth.
Lisa