Digestive system symptoms

• Keep your mouth moist by taking sips of water or other fluids throughout the day.

• Eat foods that are soft and moist or puree them if that helps you to swallow.

• Try drinking milk instead of water—thicker drinks can be easier to swallow.²

• Use lemon or other sharp tastes to make your mouth produce more saliva.

• Allow plenty of time for your meals.

• Eat smaller, more frequent meals, rather than a lot at once.

• Make lunch your main meal, rather than dinner, so that you are not going to bed too soon after eating a large meal.

• Try to sit straight during and after meals, to let gravity help your digestion.

• Avoid eating and drinking just before bedtime, to prevent discomfort during the night.

• You may find it helpful to raise the top end of your bed by 10 to 15 cm so that gravity helps keep stomach acid down.

• Talk to your doctor. They can rule out other causes and might advise you to change the balance of fibre and fluids that you consume.¹ 

• If you have diarrhoea, avoid insoluble fibre such as the skins on fruit and vegetables, as this simply passes through your system.

• Make sure you drink plenty of fluids so that you don’t become dehydrated.

• If needed, your doctor may be able to prescribe medications to help with diarrhoea or constipation.

• Try to eat little and often to allow your digestive system time to absorb as many nutrients as it can.

• Try supplementing your meals and drinks to get extra protein and energy. Ways to do this include:

• Adding dried milk powder to full fat milk.

• Adding butter/margarine or olive oil to potatoes and vegetables, soups and sauces.

• Sprinkling extra cheese over food.

• Relieve dry mouth by sipping water, chewing sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva, or speaking to your doctor/nurse about salivary substitutes.

• Dry mouth can also cause problems with the fit of dentures, causing discomfort and sores—speak to your dentist about changes that might help you.

• Try mouth stretching exercises to help with tight skin around the mouth that stops you from opening it fully.

• If oral ulcers appear (which is particularly common with certain medications), manage them with good oral hygiene and salicylate gels to help reduce any pain.

Scleroderma & Raynauds UK have a detailed information sheet on mouth issues that contains facial exercises.