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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
Coughing Up Blood
Answered by
This forum is for questions and support regarding lung and respiratory issues such as: Allergies, Asthma, Bronchitis, Colds - Flu, Chronic Cough, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, Emphysema, Fibrosis, Lung Abscess, Nasal Polyps, Pleurisy, Pneumonia, Sarcoidosis, Sinusitis, Tuberculosis.
Coughing Up Blood
by trasmus, Nov 27, 2003 12:00AM
Hello,
About 2 weeks ago I picked up a common cold from my husband, just a couple of days ago, I've noticed that in the mornings when I wake up, I've been coughing up blood. It doesn't last all day, it's only immediately after waking and I start coughing. The rest of the day my phlegm is clear with maybe a tiny speck of blood occasionally. I feel an irritation and fullness in my throat, although my chest feels clear, and there is wheezing (in my throat). I've told my husband that if the bleeding continues until Monday, then I'll go to the doctor. My question is, what could be causing this bleeding?? BTW, I do suffer from Asthma, Post-Nasal Drip and GERD.
About 2 weeks ago I picked up a common cold from my husband, just a couple of days ago, I've noticed that in the mornings when I wake up, I've been coughing up blood. It doesn't last all day, it's only immediately after waking and I start coughing. The rest of the day my phlegm is clear with maybe a tiny speck of blood occasionally. I feel an irritation and fullness in my throat, although my chest feels clear, and there is wheezing (in my throat). I've told my husband that if the bleeding continues until Monday, then I'll go to the doctor. My question is, what could be causing this bleeding?? BTW, I do suffer from Asthma, Post-Nasal Drip and GERD.
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Dec 05, 2003 12:00AM
, Dec 05, 2003 12:00AM
The most likely cause of your bleeding is sinusitis. This is an inflammation and irritation of the mucous membranes that line the sinuses. This can drain down the back of your throat and collect. You cough this up early in the morning and then it’s gone for the rest of the day. Your doctor is certainly the best judge of the cause of your bleeding, since he can examine you.
Inflammation and irritation of the sinuses could be due to an allergy, an infection like the cold you picked up 2 weeks ago, or ongoing exposure to an irritant, such as pollution or smoke. A CT scan of the sinuses is the best way to identify sinusitis. When a bacterial infection is the cause an antibiotic generally clears the sinusitis. However if a viral infection is the cause it’s a matter of time until the sinusitis clears on its own.
This inflammation and irritation can block sinus drainage and cause increased mucus production. The mucus can drain from the nose and sinuses down the back of the throat making your postnasal drip worse. You may experience this as an irritation and fullness in your throat and wheezing in your throat.
A nasal wash helps remove mucus and germs from the nose and sinuses. This can temporarily decrease the postnasal drip and help your sinuses to drain better. Often this helps sinusitis to clear more quickly. Please read our Nasal Wash MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/nasal.html for more information about this technique. Share this information with your doctor to see if you would benefit from this daily treatment.
If your symptoms continue, your doctor may recommend a prescription nasal steroid spray. This can decrease inflammation in the nose and sinuses and the mucus production. This generally provides a more lasting decrease in postnasal drip and improves sinus drainage. To get the most help from a nasal steroid spray use it after doing a nasal wash. A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms. It may take several weeks of routine use to become effective.
Inflammation and irritation of the sinuses could be due to an allergy, an infection like the cold you picked up 2 weeks ago, or ongoing exposure to an irritant, such as pollution or smoke. A CT scan of the sinuses is the best way to identify sinusitis. When a bacterial infection is the cause an antibiotic generally clears the sinusitis. However if a viral infection is the cause it’s a matter of time until the sinusitis clears on its own.
This inflammation and irritation can block sinus drainage and cause increased mucus production. The mucus can drain from the nose and sinuses down the back of the throat making your postnasal drip worse. You may experience this as an irritation and fullness in your throat and wheezing in your throat.
A nasal wash helps remove mucus and germs from the nose and sinuses. This can temporarily decrease the postnasal drip and help your sinuses to drain better. Often this helps sinusitis to clear more quickly. Please read our Nasal Wash MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/nasal.html for more information about this technique. Share this information with your doctor to see if you would benefit from this daily treatment.
If your symptoms continue, your doctor may recommend a prescription nasal steroid spray. This can decrease inflammation in the nose and sinuses and the mucus production. This generally provides a more lasting decrease in postnasal drip and improves sinus drainage. To get the most help from a nasal steroid spray use it after doing a nasal wash. A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms. It may take several weeks of routine use to become effective.
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The simplest explanation is that your nose is likely inflamed from the cold & having been blown so frequently in connection with your illness. You may have a raw spot somewhere in one of your nostrils that is slowly bleeding and since our mouth and nose are connected, it can show up as a spot of blood in your mucous.
Take care & drink lots of fluids. As you're planning, contact your doc on Monday if it hasn't subsided, to get his/her take on the situation.
Aloha,
Starion
http://www.pulmonologychannel.com/hemoptysis/ Hemoptysis
Ellis ***@****
Thanks for the support. I did go to my doctor yesterday and as the nurse has stated the blood was coming from my sinuses. She gave me a prescription and a flu/pneumonia shot. I was thinking maybe it wasn't anything serious, since I've been suffering from various sinus problems since I was a young child. Besides, I stopped coughing up blood that weekend and started feeling much better. I still have some post-nasal drip and a productive cough, which I'm sure will clear up in time. Also, I'll make sure to check out the info about the nasal wash, I'm sure that I could benefit from that. Thanks again for the help.