Papaya

Early in my blog I joked about a drool bucket (like in the Monty Python skit). Well now, drool has become a major issue. My lip muscles don't create a good seal. If I turn on my side in bed, I must put a rag under my cheek to absorb possible drool. I don't like soggy drooled-on pillows, and I bet you don't either -- but I squish one on your nose in this blog entry.

Splat! "Ewww!"

The other problem is THICK saliva. So thick that it has several times come close to asphyxiating me. It blocks your mouth as an airway and then tries to creep up to block the inlets from your nose. I have on several occasions leaned over the sink, trying to spit out the glue (my spitting ability is impaired, along with everything else), and concentrated on breathing in through my nose and spitting and drooling out through my mouth.

But on the advice of the sexy lady doctor, my deserving wife has been giving me papaya juice at dinner. That has helped thin out the saliva and make it much less likely to gag me.