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Excessive Mucus, Shortness of Breath
I have been diagnosed with asthma, however the typical asthma treatments don't seem to help me. I have been to so many doctors including herbal doctors, and no one seems to have any answers. I usually am clearing my throat all day and have had to start taking Mucinex on a daily basis to keep the mucus somewhat under control. I can't ever seem to get anything up when I clear my throat. I have also noticed in the past year that when I start to have an asthma attack (or at least what I think is asthma, I'm still questioning these attacks), my stomach will get nautious and I get extremely fatigued. I notice that during these attacks, the mucus won't move around. It seems to just get thicker, and no matter what I do I can't get anything to come up. My attacks usually last about 3 - 4 hours. When the mucus starts to finally move around, then I gradually start getting better. Because I have been to so many doctors and their treatments don't help me, they start looking for other alternative answers such as panic attacks. My question always is - explain the mucus then! Why does the mucus change when I get into these attacks? Why does the mucus change again and start to move again when the breathing attacks start to cease? There does't seem to be a pattern either. I get these attacks at any time of year. Sometimes they last off and on for months, and then I can go months without them. It almost ALWAYS happens at night when I lie down to go to bed. I can usually tell when I'm going to have a breathing/mucus attack in the evening or early afternoon.Lead me in the right direction!
There seems to be an epidemic of people with this respiratory problem. Mine started about five weeks ago and was diagnosed by my doctor as being a side effect with my blood-pressure medicine. When changing to a different one I found that it didn't go away. (mucus in the throat that I can't clear and a need to cough and try to clear my throat until it get's irritated and sore and I lose my voice if I talk much.) Next they thought it was a reaction to my blood-sugar medicines, Metformin, Avandia, Glipizide, and so I stopped taking them but that didn't take care of the problem either. I have been in the Emergency Room three times in that same period of time and to my Doctor five times. STILL THE SAME! They have given me Histinex for my throat, Azithromycim for Broncitis that I got while in the Hospital, Zyrtec for allergies, and Xanax for panic attacks when it feels like I can't breath when it's at its worst. While in the Hospital they had a E.N.T. doctor to scope my sinus cavity and nose and throat,(he found nothing wrong); a doctor of Gastronology scoped my stomach and lower throat and found only minor irritation in the throat and nothing wrong with the stomach. They have given me Nexium to take but that hasn't done anything either. They x-rayed my lungs and found nothing wrong there either. Also stress test of my heart and its ok. While I'm typing this message I have been clearing my throat at least a hundred time and spitting up mucus and coughing. The only time I get any relief is when i'm lying in bed partially on my stomach.
I hope someone comes up with an answer to this as it is driving me crazy. And keeping my wife awake also.
I hope someone comes up with an answer to this as it is driving me crazy. And keeping my wife awake also.
I have been reading the post made to this forum and i can't believe how many people are havin the same problems i am experiencing ..
I am 25 years old,don't smoke and rarely drinks .. i have been having shortness of breath and nausea and chest pain for over ten years now but it seems to be getting worst, i thknk the problem is caused from the fact that i always seem to have mucus at my throat which comes up at times but forms back really quickly.
Sometimes when i try to take a deep breath i feel as if enough air is not going into my lungs and this makes me start to panick and have to be gasping for air.. i am always stuffy and can't breathe through both nostrils at the same time .. what is really scaring me though is that whenever i am stuffy and feel like i am having a sinus attack my heart races really fast and it seems to be pumping very hard anf sometimes this lasts for over an hour,even when i am lying down.. i have been to doctors without help and the last time i went they told me i have high blood pressure, i don't believe this has my heart only races when my sinus is inflammed and when i have difficulty breathing ..i also have heart palpitation at times..this irregular beating of my heart is really worrying me and i would like to know if anyone else have been having similar symtoms ..
sorry for the long post but i just wanted to explain myself properly
I am 25 years old,don't smoke and rarely drinks .. i have been having shortness of breath and nausea and chest pain for over ten years now but it seems to be getting worst, i thknk the problem is caused from the fact that i always seem to have mucus at my throat which comes up at times but forms back really quickly.
Sometimes when i try to take a deep breath i feel as if enough air is not going into my lungs and this makes me start to panick and have to be gasping for air.. i am always stuffy and can't breathe through both nostrils at the same time .. what is really scaring me though is that whenever i am stuffy and feel like i am having a sinus attack my heart races really fast and it seems to be pumping very hard anf sometimes this lasts for over an hour,even when i am lying down.. i have been to doctors without help and the last time i went they told me i have high blood pressure, i don't believe this has my heart only races when my sinus is inflammed and when i have difficulty breathing ..i also have heart palpitation at times..this irregular beating of my heart is really worrying me and i would like to know if anyone else have been having similar symtoms ..
sorry for the long post but i just wanted to explain myself properly
Same systems as earlier posters; thick mucus that I am unable to move / swallow that seems to either trigger asthma like symptoms, or to be a byproduct. Attacks last for several hours, making me feel as if I'm suffocating, even though I breath perfectly well. I find a couple of benadryl will help calm the symptoms, but put me to sleep as well.
I've had doctors who suspect GERD, or similiar, and the Protonix seems to help slightly, but not a cure. Strangely enough, a glass of bourbon seems to help more often than not, but I have no interest in self medicating down that road.
I've met others w/ identical symptoms to mine, and the ones discussed on this thread appear to be identical as well, but no one has managed to track this down and fix it.
As a note, I had asthma as a kid, thru my early teens and I remember very well what that feels like. This is nothing like it, though it will trigger an asthma attack occassionaly, which is why I still carry albuterol w/ me.
Any more info anyone is able to add would be greatly appreciated.
I've had doctors who suspect GERD, or similiar, and the Protonix seems to help slightly, but not a cure. Strangely enough, a glass of bourbon seems to help more often than not, but I have no interest in self medicating down that road.
I've met others w/ identical symptoms to mine, and the ones discussed on this thread appear to be identical as well, but no one has managed to track this down and fix it.
As a note, I had asthma as a kid, thru my early teens and I remember very well what that feels like. This is nothing like it, though it will trigger an asthma attack occassionaly, which is why I still carry albuterol w/ me.
Any more info anyone is able to add would be greatly appreciated.
Just food for thought:
Singulair is used for allergies as well, but is usually taken in the morning for allergies, and at night for asthma. You could give it another try, taking it when you get up in the morning. As far as developing new problems after moving to a different area of the country, this is very common. It can be due to different allergens, dust levels in the air, pollution, and other environmental factors. I have lived in 5 states, and have been differently affected by each one.
Singulair is used for allergies as well, but is usually taken in the morning for allergies, and at night for asthma. You could give it another try, taking it when you get up in the morning. As far as developing new problems after moving to a different area of the country, this is very common. It can be due to different allergens, dust levels in the air, pollution, and other environmental factors. I have lived in 5 states, and have been differently affected by each one.
Hi everyone. I just started reading comments on here and I found one page that was all about too much mucus in the thoat all the time. That has been my problem.
I have been losing my voice and clearing my thoat off and on for at least 5 years. I have tried almost every kind of medicine (prescription, nonprescription, and all natural) known to man. And nothing has ever worked.
Sorry, but I don't believe medicine is the answer. I just seen my doctor and she had me try singulair because this is one I didn't try yet and of course it didn't work. I paid a $30 office visit copay and a $40 prescription copay to take a pill that I can't take anymore because it keeps me up all night. This medicine is for asthma and I don't believe I have asthma.
But anyway, my point is that I don't think doctors really know and that they are just guessing. I believe it's just a big money scam. How could they know when almost every illness has a whole list of the same symptoms. Even our president of the united states stated on Febuary 5th of 2005, that "doctors don't really know what kind of medicine to prescribe for us, they are just making an educated guess".
Pretty scarey isn't it. By the way, where do all of you allergy sufferers and people with excessive mucus in your throats live? I live in Michigan. But when I moved to Florida years back, I didn't have half the problems with it that I have now....
I have been losing my voice and clearing my thoat off and on for at least 5 years. I have tried almost every kind of medicine (prescription, nonprescription, and all natural) known to man. And nothing has ever worked.
Sorry, but I don't believe medicine is the answer. I just seen my doctor and she had me try singulair because this is one I didn't try yet and of course it didn't work. I paid a $30 office visit copay and a $40 prescription copay to take a pill that I can't take anymore because it keeps me up all night. This medicine is for asthma and I don't believe I have asthma.
But anyway, my point is that I don't think doctors really know and that they are just guessing. I believe it's just a big money scam. How could they know when almost every illness has a whole list of the same symptoms. Even our president of the united states stated on Febuary 5th of 2005, that "doctors don't really know what kind of medicine to prescribe for us, they are just making an educated guess".
Pretty scarey isn't it. By the way, where do all of you allergy sufferers and people with excessive mucus in your throats live? I live in Michigan. But when I moved to Florida years back, I didn't have half the problems with it that I have now....
One way to get rid of mucous is to drink a ton of water. Meds. like Mucinex, and Sudafed only work well if you drink a lot of water with them. Also, Reflux was causing some of my
asthma-like symptoms. I would wake up coughing soooooooooo hard, and struggling to inhale, making horrible gasping sounds. Prevacid did away with this. For me, asthma was a misdiagnosis. I had reflux, and restrictive lung disease. I'm not saying that is the case for you, but you should get Pulmonary Function Tests done just to be certain, if you haven't already. If you have had PFT's and they indicated asthma, then you can be relatively sure that the diagnosis is accurate. It wouldn't hurt to get evaluated for Reflux. If you do have reflux, your body may be mass producing mucous to keep the acid from burning your throat so much.
About asthma though: Excessive, and thick mucous is associated with asthma. In most asthma patients, the airways are chronically inflamed, which causes them to be narrowed, and are lined with abnormally thick mucous, causing them to be narrower still. In an asthma attack, airways constrict, and you are less able to exhale, as a result, you may have non-productive coughing even though you've got so much mucous. As the attack subsides, the airways dialate a bit, and you are better able to exhale, thus making it posible for the mucous to move. What asthma medications have you tried so far? Have you been to a pulmonologist? Have you been evaluated for sinusitis? allergies? Had a CT of your sinuses? Seen an ENT?
Allergies do make asthma worse. It may not be seasonal. It could be dust, pets or environmental factors like pollution or smog. Have you tried Zyrtec, or something similar to see if it reduces your asthma symptoms and mucous?
Remember, asthma causes difficulty exhaling, ans reflux causes difficulty inhaling.
asthma-like symptoms. I would wake up coughing soooooooooo hard, and struggling to inhale, making horrible gasping sounds. Prevacid did away with this. For me, asthma was a misdiagnosis. I had reflux, and restrictive lung disease. I'm not saying that is the case for you, but you should get Pulmonary Function Tests done just to be certain, if you haven't already. If you have had PFT's and they indicated asthma, then you can be relatively sure that the diagnosis is accurate. It wouldn't hurt to get evaluated for Reflux. If you do have reflux, your body may be mass producing mucous to keep the acid from burning your throat so much.
About asthma though: Excessive, and thick mucous is associated with asthma. In most asthma patients, the airways are chronically inflamed, which causes them to be narrowed, and are lined with abnormally thick mucous, causing them to be narrower still. In an asthma attack, airways constrict, and you are less able to exhale, as a result, you may have non-productive coughing even though you've got so much mucous. As the attack subsides, the airways dialate a bit, and you are better able to exhale, thus making it posible for the mucous to move. What asthma medications have you tried so far? Have you been to a pulmonologist? Have you been evaluated for sinusitis? allergies? Had a CT of your sinuses? Seen an ENT?
Allergies do make asthma worse. It may not be seasonal. It could be dust, pets or environmental factors like pollution or smog. Have you tried Zyrtec, or something similar to see if it reduces your asthma symptoms and mucous?
Remember, asthma causes difficulty exhaling, ans reflux causes difficulty inhaling.
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