[Bethanne]

Re: How long chewing ice?

by Bethanne on Thu Nov 20, 2014 5:52 pm

Terri,

My husband also went to the University of Chicago for his transplant (both of them!). He did follow the recommendations and chewed ice as often as he could (he does not normally have ice in a drink, let alone chew on it!).

He did not get mouth sores, so maybe the inconvenience and the discomfort for those two days are worth it.

Good luck.

[brandy]

Re: How long chewing ice?

by brandy on Fri Nov 21, 2014 3:06 pm

I chewed ice one hour before, during, and one after the melphan process and brushed my teeth before that with toothpaste for sensitive teeth and No Mouth Sores. The nurses brought 3 large cups of crushed ice.

[Eric Hofacket]

Re: How long chewing ice?

by Eric Hofacket on Tue Nov 25, 2014 1:03 pm

First, I do not know if it is necessary to chew on ice, as in crush the ice with your teeth. I think most dentist would cringe to hear this. In my case, I rolled the ice around in my mouth, or sucked on ice chips that were broken up or crushed already. It is the cold that matters, not the act of chewing on something cold.

I do not remember for how long I did it, but I do not remember it being as long as you have been told to do it. I also used the Biotene a lot and brushed my teeth with a new, clean tooth brush every day when I was allowed to start doing that again.

I did not get any mouth sores, but from reading others people's experience with having them, it seems it can be the worst part of the transplant experience, even worse than the nausea.