Spitting.

[cityboy]

My wife has developed a habit of wiping away saliva on towels, tea-towels etc and spitting in various receptacles. Has anyone else experienced this awful habit and found a answer to the problem?
She has been examined by our GP among others and has no restrictions or excessive saliva. Eats well and while she does not drink enough has no problems swallowing.

 

[Shedrech]

hello cityboy
welcome to TP
gosh this disease does send some very trying symptoms!
I haven't encountered this myself - at least the GP has checked and there's nothing untoward health wise - but I can imagine how unpleasant this might be
I wonder whether some kind of distraction might help - is there anything your wife might do to take her mind off this one habit eg knitting, playing cards or sorting cards/buttons, doing a puzzle, playing with a twiddle muff, ... something to keep her hands busy - though I appreciate this isn't easy, and certainly depends on how she is with her dementia symptoms
if nothing else, might she have a dedicated towel, a bit like a comforter for a child, so that she's not just grabbing any textile
sorry not to be of much help
best wishes

 

[Fullticket]

My mum picks her teeth and then wipes the extracted matter onto whatever is handy - chair arms, tea towels, jumpers, etc. I can sort of see a reason for this if there is something lodged in her teeth but spitting is a new one to me. ?? has she got a nasty taste in her mouth, a bad tooth, ill fitting dentures ??

I hasten to add that I do supervise the teeth cleaning but have given up trying to get her to floss and she swallows mouthwash!

 

[oilovlam]

I wish I had an answer but I don't. I suppose you just have to rule out the obvious things (as suggested) and ask the professionals (dentist, GP, dementia 'experts'). But they will probably say that it is a symptom of the dementia.

Mum blows raspberrys (best way I can find to describe it). It is very annoying and can get me down. When I ask her to stop, she sometimes says "I cannot help it".....and I think "You can't help it can you". It's something that happens....but it is still annoying.

Hope you find a way to stop it or at least a way to deal with it.

 

[cityboy]

Spitting

hello cityboy
welcome to TP
gosh this disease does send some very trying symptoms!
I haven't encountered this myself - at least the GP has checked and there's nothing untoward health wise - but I can imagine how unpleasant this might be
I wonder whether some kind of distraction might help - is there anything your wife might do to take her mind off this one habit eg knitting, playing cards or sorting cards/buttons, doing a puzzle, playing with a twiddle muff, ... something to keep her hands busy - though I appreciate this isn't easy, and certainly depends on how she is with her dementia symptoms
if nothing else, might she have a dedicated towel, a bit like a comforter for a child, so that she's not just grabbing any textile
sorry not to be of much help
best wishes

Thanks.
Tried everything. Has large handkerchiefs, dedicated "towels" etc. Does codewords most of the day, but doesn't stop the habit. Going to speak to GP again to see if there is enough cognitive matter in the brain to respond to some form of hypnotherapy as a last resort.

 

[Fullticket]

Just a thought and this is in no way a scientific one!

We know when to swallow when we are eating and drinking, but do we think about swallowing our saliva? Is this part of our autonomic system - like blinking, breathing - and we just don't think about it but do it? Has some part of the brain, independent of the swallowing we do when we have food or drink in our mouths, just 'forgotten' how to do it?