After common cold, I cough for weeks with phlem I cannot get up!

[antipas]

During and after a cold I have coughing spells but cannot get up the phlem that seems stuck in my throat. I sometimes cough so hard that I throw up the phlem and get some temporary relief. My husband can bring up any phlem he might have easily with some kind of throat action. He has tried to show me how but to no avail. I just got over a cold and am now coughing, coughing, coughing. I feel like if I could get the phlem up my coughing would not be so severe. Any help on how to get it up and out? Also is there anything I can drink that can work on minimizing the phlem or diluting it so it wouldn't be so troublesome? Thanks in advance.

[National Jewish]

The best agent for thinning mucus is water.  However, it may be that there is a continuous drainage causing your problem.  So it is more of a volume issue than a thickness issue.  If your cough is persistent, as you have described, it is probably a good idea to speak with your doctor to see if the cough needs to be treated in another way.  It may be that the cough is being caused by an infection or spasm of the small airways in the lungs.  These problems need to be treated so that the cough will go away.  Although coughing sounds similar in different people, the cause may be very different.

[lindasp62]

Coughing is good for phlegm!  After a bout of pneumonia and many bouts of bronchitis and subsequent asthma, I know the felling of just wanting to get it all out.  Coughing is a natural response to help get the phlegm up and out, so do not take any cough syrup that is a  'cough suppressant'.  My pulmonologist told me to use Mucinex, which is an over-the-counter med. of guafenesin, the ingredient in some syrups that helps to loosen and break up the latent mucus and help it get coughed out better. This mucinex is in pill form, and you need to drink a lot of water with it.  Water, in general, will help, so be sure to drink lots of water during the day.  Not sodas, but WATER!! If it persists for more than this few weeks you wrote about, I'd see your doctor. It usually takes me a few weeks, too, to get it all out, depending on how serious the infection and congestion was in the first place.  Good Luck.

[nomeds]

you can get it up and out without meds by doing the following:
Make a clown face; in a hot morning shower move your lower jaw and tong as far down and back as you can (your teeth will be showing and smile exaggerated - clown face) while experimenting with different arches at the back part of the tong and forcing a cough, you will with a little practice find the right position to caught in, and when you do you will pull the worst heavy and thick phlegm up and out. what a sense of accomplishment! repeat till empty (usually 2-5 coughs). this may take a few mornings and without the assist of vitamins (vitamin C in particular is the most helpful 2000 - 3000 mg/day) it may take a few weeks. my rational why this works; if you can get the force of wind from a cough to blow by the two small holes in back upper cavity of mouth/throat that lead to sinuses it creates a vacuum enough to pull the start of the phlegm. it is up to you to pull the rest of the phlegm out with hacking or sucking action or by grabbing and pulling it as I have done once or twice, paper tissue helps in the grabbing process.

[nomeds]

higher amounts of vitamins and herbs when sick will eliminate phlegm and the cold. the most effective multi vitamin/herb/antioxidant mix I have found is "Wellness Formula" from source naturals inc.
http://www.sourcenaturalscatalog.com/sn0021.html

[Nevervana]

You know - you may just have a dry cough.  It happens - TRUST ME!  Going by what you wrote, Im picturing your husband convincing you that if you just force yourself to heave over and over you'll get something up.  He may be totally wrong.  No wonder you've done it so hard that you've vomited!  LORD!  Stop doing that to yourself.  Go get a chest XRay. That will tell you immediately if you have anything in there.  Tell your husband to stop trying to force you to cough till you puke.

[kage8877]

A related discussion, been coughing for 2 months was started.

[gabby370]

A related discussion, phelm stuck was started.