Blood in spit in the A.M.

[Raine9]

For the last 3 weeks or so, I've noticed off and on a small amount of blood when I clear my throat in the morning.  I am worried.  I first noticed traces of blood in the second week of March when I got really sick. This happened about 2 or 3 times.  I had a fever the first day and coughed night and day for the next two weeks with a lot of phlem.  My throat felt raw from all the coughing.  I got better.   Then in the first week of April I got some kind of respiratory infection.  I coughed up a lot of yellow sputum in the morning.  That's when I started to notice small amounts of blood in my sputum again.  Sometimes it looks rusty colored, sometimes red.  My cough cleared up.  Then this past Tuesday, April 17, afer I brushed my teath, I was spitting and I noticed a small amount of blood in my spit. My gums and teeth are not bleeding. The next day I only notice a very small amount of pale red blood, which I really had to force out of my throat.  The next day, there was nothing.  Then on Friday, yesterday, I coughed a small amount of red blood again.  This morning I saw a tiny amount of pale red blood.  I have to keep spitting before I see it.  It does not come up right away.   I am fine the rest of the day.

I am also suffering from anxiety and have been suffering from shortness of breath and chest tightness.  I have seen the doctor about the shortness of breath and he believes it's anxiety.  He gave me Xanax which helps.  Funny thing is the shortness of breath has improved over this last week and I didn't even take the Xanax.  I feel some warm sensations in my chest which doesn't really bother me.  

I called my doctor on Friday morning but he didn't get back to me.  I suspect he'll call on Monday and want me to see and ENT and take a chest x-ray or something.  I'm just worried.  

[Kate7]

Thank you for the information.

[Raine9]

Sorry to read about your worries but glad to read that you are a survivor.  I just wanted to let you know if your question is directed towards the forum doctor, you have to post a new question.  They do not answer additional posts.  

Good luck and God bless.  I will pray that everything turns out well for you.  

[Kate7]

I am an almost 3 yr breast cancer survivor now and last Sept I started spitting blood in the am. The amount of blood produced has tapered off since then and sometimes I'll go 2 weeks or so without any but it hasn't completely stopped. In the past few months, my throat also feels hot/inflamed and I seem to be swallowing more and having some voice fluctuations. I've had two ENTs scope my throat (endoscopy and bronchoscopy) but they don't see anything - though one did just see an abnormality with a blood vessel pulsing that shouldn't be and he is going to ask a colleague about it... I've had two MRIs and they don't show anything peculiar in the area.

Obviously a return of cancer is my concern but regardless I'd like for these symptoms to stop. Any chance I could currently have a cancer there that is not being picked up on? What could be causing the heat/inflammation? My ENTs have no suggestions for that.  Thank you!

[National Jewish]

Having small amounts of blood following a respiratory infection is a common finding.  These infections lead to inflammation which can linger and be aggravated by coughing, clearing your throat, blowing your nose etc. Seeing your physician if this persists, increases or even if this is of concern is certainly a good idea.

[NOT_a_md_77]

Check on of the posts from earlier this month.  Someone else was asking about this as well.  I just got over a similar issue this week (which is what brought me to this forum).  I had a bad case of bronchitis and was coughing up small amounts of blood in the morning.  Like you, that freaked me out.  I found on a couple of forums that this can be a normal occurance with bronchitis or a URI.  I had contacted me doctor the day I noticed the blood and he was concerned, but he thought it could be a small rupture in a blood vessle due to all the coughing I was doing.

We kept our eyes on it and it went away on its own as the bronchitis cleared up.  

[Raine9]

Just wanted to add that both times I got sick, my kids were sick too.  I suspect they gave it to me.  I am also a non-smoker.  

[Raine9]

Just wanted to add that both times I got sick, my kids were sick too.  I suspect they gave it to me.  I am also a non-smoker.