Severe throat mucus - Hard to breath - Help, please!

For the last few weeks, I have felt very congested in my nose and throat. A lot of mucus has been present, but in my nose, it has been hard to get out, as of lately. And when I do try to blow my nose to get it out, it feels like the strong air is causing irritating pain throughout the passageways. When the mucus does come out of my nose, it comes out in heaping globs of thick/gluelike/sticky/stretchable clear or cloudy whiteness. I sometimes feel as though I have large amounts of this thick mucus in my nose, yet it is very difficult to pass, causing some pain from the harsh blowing.
My throat has been even more of a problem. The mucus rarely comes out, but has at times, in the heaps that it does from my nose, yet it feels as though there is constant blockage in my throat. I often feel a need to spit constantly and sometimes am practically drooling, as well. The mucus in my throat is constantly there, and I am very often sticking my finger in my throat to grab globs of it. I keep pulling out the mucus, but there is always more there! The mucus is often clear, sometimes white/cloudy in spots and quite sticky. It is usually thinner than the nasal mucus, but it is even more irritating... It very often feels as though I cannot breathe and that I am choking! This has caused me a tremendous amount of anxiety. Can someone reassure me that it is impossible to choke or not breathe due to mucus in one's throat? This has caused me to nearly have a panic attack on more than one occasion, as this has been a constant problem for nearly a month!
What is likely causing this build up of mucus? And what can I do to recover from this?
I went to my general physician when I had it a few days, and she said that it was likely due to a virus. That was a few weeks ago. I went again today, and she prescribed my an antibiotic. Will the antibiotic help me recover from this? I heard that viruses have to clear on their own, but since she prescribed me an antibiotic (amoxicillin/amoxacillin), I'm not sure that is what I have.
Also, I heard that drinking liquids - especially hot liquids, according to my doctor - help to clear the mucus, but I find it hard to even eat or drink sometimes! I feel like it is nearly impossible to swallow often and that the food just gets stuck in my throat. I even nearly choked on water the other day! However, with all the spitting out I've been doing, I am getting awfully dehydrated at times. Do you have any food or drink suggestions?
I have been drinking gatorade often, for the potassium (and calories when I can barely eat). Do you think that's a good choice?
Any other comments, suggestions, or advice would be tremendously appreciated. Thank you!

[Lucky5253]

I also wanted to add that I have been quite dizzy often, and my ears have often been blocked. Could this be due to the congestion?

[desertdave47]

I've had the same thing, I'm a 47 year old man, fairly good shape and never experienced the "choking" sensation before in my life with mucus. it usually is onset after my throat has become irritated from clearing my throat constantly. I found some relief from an unlikely source, eating pop sickles, the coldness sliding down lubricates and eases inflammation for me. I don't get much sleep for up to 1 week because I have to sleep in a recliner for the post nasal drip which is nerve racking. When I can't clear my throat or breath, it seems like forever but is never for more than 20 seconds or so but still very scary, has caused me  also lots of anxiety and stress just thinking about the next time I catch a cold. Also do everthing to avoid the throat from getting too irritated and swolen, causing the passage to narrow and mucus less space. My doctor said it's common and yes scary but no person has ever died from this. Also take NSAID meds like advil or some other Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug to ease throat irritation swelling.

Stay upright, drink lots of liquids, eat pop sickle after pop sickle if needed and take the anti inflamatory meds, this helped me lots.

Dave Tubb - ***@****

[desertdave47]

if you take too much cold meds, some meds after a while can make you dizzy and i've even heard cough meds, too much can cause breathing issues if you take too much or for a long time.

Dave Tubb.

[Dakotawinks]

I have this too. Do you find it even worse when you cry? I am going nuts right now. My dad is dying, and with that in mind remember I am a big cry baby. This mucus is even worse when I cry, what in the world? My doctor's totally ignore me. I went yesterday and told her it was going on two years with this and how horrible it is when I do cry. It fills up in my throat, yet she blew me off. I went through all the tests last fall and nothing showed. It freaks me out though even now.
Let me know how you're doing with it.
Dakota

[marissa_]

Hello. My husband is having the same problem for so long now. It is until lately that he is experiencing a choking sensation everytime he eats and sometimes he would just vomit thinking he might not breath. There is always a mucus build up esp when he eats more than what should be. Lately, his voice lacks some power. His voice  got so soft that you cant almost hear them.this is causing so much anxiety to both of us. We dont even know whom to consult with this kind of problem.

[friggy]

Two of the most common causes of the mucus buildup are chronic sinus infections with postnasal drip, and acid reflux from the stomach.  If you have a sinus infection, especially a fungal one, and it doesn't respond to antibiotics or regular saline irrigation, then I recommend the Flip-Turn Sinus Flush, which gets saline into the upper sinuses and washes out all infections.  It's risky, because you have to bend over in a shower, but it can also be done outside on soft ground.

http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/2322

If you suspect acid reflux, there is an excellent treatment using liquid Gaviscon, suggested by the doctor of Lorna from the UK, which is one of the comments at the end of the journal.

[ken_18]

I've read about your throat and nasal problems.I'm a student nurse, maybe I can help you a little.

It's defintiely possible that you may choke due to overproduction of mucus in your throat because there would it stay that obstructs the passageway of air and food through the lungs and esophagus that may lead to difficulty in breathing. But that mucus production signals that there has been a foreign object in your nose and throat and will help you seek medical help to treat your problem.Anyway, it's a defensive mechanism against the foreign objects.

Another things is if you were diagnosed to have infected with virus, antibiotic won't treat your viral problem, instead the drug will prevent further infection.There is a certain virus, such as influenza virus, we rarely get,then we experience fever, runny nose and nasal congestion. There's no drug ever made to treat influenza infection, though it doesn't harm us if we take immediate anti-fever and anti-flu medications.Influenza viruses just come and go, but I'm not telling you to ignore your flu.By the way, in your case, you may need throat culture in order to know what particular microbe caused your throat problem and to select the appropriate medication intended for that microbe. And, as far as I know, viral infection lasts for 2-3 weeks with fever and other symptoms I've already said above. On the other hand, bacterial infection takes beyond 2-3 weeks to recover. But, of course, you should rather consult your physician if those symptoms appear at the beginning.

I advise you to increase your fluid intake. This will help liquify your mucus so you can cough it out and this will prevent dehydration. If drinking hot liquids make it difficult for you, prefer warm water as an alternative to facilitate your eating activity. Gatorade is a real good choice to replace fluid and electrolytes loss. But you need to eat well with vitamin C-rich foods. If swallowing food is another problem, take a little amount of food then drink water before another until you finish all the food in your plate. Talk about Guaifensin to your doctor. This drug hepls you to expel the mucus from your throat. Drink a lot of fluids if you will take this medicine..

Get well soon.=)
JESUS loves you..

[Collegebeauty22]

I just got out the hospital for epiglottitus which is a serious throat infection  which blocks your airway. It feels like there is something stuck in the back of your throat and it hurts like h*ll. I was constantly spitting and drooling because I could not swallow. You should go and checked immediately if your excessive blockage gets worse or anything.

[Collegebeauty22]

Also they kept me in the hospital for 2 days on antibiotics and steroids and it helped tremendously.

[pengyou]

I have exactly the same problem. I am still waiting for all exams results for "chronic sinus infections with postnasal drip, and acid reflux from the stomach".
It seems that I have to live with this problem for long time. So my concern now is if this will produce other kind of problems in the future.
Kind regards,
Pengyou
.

[KalynS]

Last summer I went to Myrtle Beach for a vacation. About half way through my vacation I started experiencing a lot of the same symptoms as you. I really thought it was the change in the air. I could breath through my nose fine, but had a ton of mucus in my throat that would seriously cause me to gag and "choke". My throat was raw feeling also and my ears almost killed me and felt plugged. My glands were so swollen you could see them! It was all signs of a classic sinus infection. I had it for right around a month total and it was horrible.

I have a question for you. Do you sneeze? I forced myself to sneeze sometimes, and I would sneeze out "chunks" of mucus that were like whitish and some of it was thick and clear. I had tissues full of the stuff that was stuck in my throat and it was gross, but sneezing it out seemed to be the only way to get it out. When my ears got to bugging me really bad my hubby put peroxide in my ears they bubble like there was all kinds of infection, and it helped a lot.

I hope you feel better soon!

[FemmeFugazi]

Peroxide in the ears... fascinating (as one of my all-time favorite TV characters would say !)

What do you think peroxide up the nose would do ?

For, say, a sinus infection ? Put some peroxide in a nasal mist spray and let 'er go up the nose ! Dangerous ?

[Clovertail13]

This SAME EXACT THING has happened to me before, and trust me, I feel your pain. It was like NO ONE knew what I was talking about!!
The thing that strongly recommend is Mucinex. It's a total godsend!! it breaks up really thick mucus in you throat and chest so you can cough it out. Seriously, I was sssooooohappy withthe results. I could finally breathe at night without the fear of choking!!

One last tip I have for you is to stay CALM during the choking " attacks". When it happens, just stay  still and take deep breathes through your nose. I also liked to hold onto a stress ball or something like that.

Well I hope this helped, and I wish you the best!!   :)

[Lampone]

Clovertail13 your comment reminded me i have some afrin in my arsinal of medicine. I woke up choking on flem (phlegm) after a sneezing attack, and all i could think about was how much the attack reminded me of Anthrax - Symptoms, without the Skin infection. somthing I was made aware of from NBC briefings from my service time in the US Army. But I'm in NJ and no longer service conected and safe at home. I asked myself Why am I awake gaging with a chest full of flem (phlegm)  at 2:30 am.  I googled my symthoms and read this entire string of comments, yours helped me and now an hour later Im going back too sleep, my Chest clear, my nose dry, and with deep flem (phlegm) free breaths. THANK YOU : )   HOOAH!

[sunild1204]

Excessive coughing-mucus after eating/mucus after meals
===========================================
During Acidity /GERD I faced another issue. After each meal I started to spill out these small thick spits/or mucus which would last for around 1 hour after each meal. Guys this is really strenuous, as I was facing one problem after another.
I called up my doctor to find why this was happening and her first question was, did I had cough/cold recently?. I remembered yes just 1-2 days back I had this cough issue which has subsided without taking any pills as I was already on treatment for GERD/Ulcer. Now this is what happened as per my observation. During GERD treatment I had developed constipation problem which had caused my bowel movement to shut down and hence it looks like there was no way the excess mucus could get out of body so it was trying to come out through mouth.
My doctor suggested following antibiotics which would kills the mucus.
1)Tablet ZIFI 200 Mg (CEFIXIME tablets)    1-0-1
2) syrup Alex (Nasal,decongestion,Antialergic)  1-1-1 1-2 Tablespoon after meals

I think in order to get rid of this issue you must make sure that you have good bowel movement Or consult you doctor to see if laxatives will help you.

You will find one more answer here
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Ear--Nose--Throat/mucus-in-throat/show/734793
User Orgert.

[deejay17]

Hi everyone, i am 18 years old, a very healthy and fit individual, tennis player. I recently suffered from something very similar to all of you. On a typical day i took a nap and i woke up with a feeling like something was caught in my throat and i wa unable to breathe for 2 minutes, slowly catching my air back at times, but then a cough would come up and the lack of air would continue. I kinda shook it off and went on with the day until i went to sleep that night. I woke up at 4 in the morning with the same problem unable to breathe, i was so scared at this point i needed a hospital. I was fine when i arrived but they released me quick not caring what i had to say, that this happens when i sleep only. I started feeling anxious and feerful about sleep which made it worse. Almost every night for a month i would have these same attacks, (not asthma related at all). The doctors made no effort to find out what was wrong so i researched myself. i searched my symptoms, coughing, vomiting, suffocating awoken from sleep, reflux type of situation. i came to the conclusion i had a sleep disorder called laryngopharyngeal reflux. when mucus gets caught in your throat during sleep uprising from reflux and causing the voice box(larynx) to spas out and close. If anyone feels this is very close to what they are experiencing reply back :)

[nikkiidaniels]

i would consult a pharmacist prior to putting peroxide up your nose. you will need to dilute it.. otherwise you coudl burn your nasal membrane..  have anoy of you people smoked cigarettes in your life.. dont forget to include that into your self diagnosis..  if you smoke definately you will have excessive mucos

[nikkiidaniels]

by the way - have you been in contact with a herbicide containing glyphosate (Round Up)    everytime one of our neighbours spray my children have breathing difficulties due to overspray being in the air. it can travel 400-800 metres, amazing really - more research needs to be done on asthma and glyphosate -

[MnL4Christ]

Your comment helped me so much I thank God for u I no I'm late but ur a great nurse I'm studying to be a nurse I'm CNA but ur comment was on point and the best part was Get well soon Jesus loves you...I'm a born again Christian this helped me today may God bless u abundantly! Along with everyone on this post n those who come to it!

[manny76]

Dave I don't know you but I'm going thru the same thing, this thing is awful is getting very hard to breath, you definetily can yawn, it makes you anxiously desperate. I have read your posting and that's what I' ll do, thanks my friend. Manny. =  )

[stettenfarms]

My father had some what similar. He saw a specialists who said he had acid reflux and because of that  he had a narrowing  where the stomach attached to the esophagus. The stomach acid had caused scar tissue which created the narrowing. He went in for a simple surgical procedure that widened the narrowing. He has no more problems.

[ancientdruss]

I have this problem of something in the back of my throat, which intern cause excessive mucus.This only happens during a meal, which starts of feeling like im chocking. The only thing i find that works for me is to keep trying to swallow water until my throat feels cleared. Sometimes this can take a couple of hours. I was looking for the cause of the problem and a curer, But havent found this.