Mucus problem

[Kiat]

I always felt that mucus 'stuck' inside my throat and unable to spit it or swallow it. When I swallow my saliva I can felt the mucus is stay inside my throat. This problem already longs for about one year. What should I do?. This is the only symtoms.

Is consumption of fruit especially bananas and oranges and milk can produce more mucus inside our body since these foods are known for their mucus-forming properties is true?

[National Jewish]

Postnasal drip is drainage from the nose and sinuses dripping down the back of the throat.  This would explain the mucus that you feel ‘stuck’ in your throat.  When the mucus is thick you may not be able to swallow it or spit it out.  The fat content in dairy products can thicken mucus.  Generally eating dairy products with less fat content is helpful.  Drinking plenty of fluid will help to thin the mucus so that it moves more easily.  Generally you should be drinking 6 to 8 8-ounce glasses of non-caffeine fluid daily.  When you feel the mucus in your throat sip some water to clear the mucus.  A nasal wash helps remove mucus from your nose and sinuses.  Please read our nasal wash treatment information at http://www.nationaljewish.org/disease-info/treatments/alt-ther/nasal-wash.aspx to learn more about this technique.  Share this information with your doctor to see if you would benefit from this daily treatment.  Talk with your doctor to know if this is a problem for you.  Also your doctor will be able to let you know if there are medicines that would be helpful for you.

[Inanga]

hi i have the same problem but have it under control. When i eat food containing corn i get excess mucous flowing. Sometimes it gets sticky and hard to move, as you describe. It can be pretty unpleasant and sometimes downright frightening. My main way of dealing managing the situation is avoiding the allergen totally by reading labels etc. Pollen in summer is also a factor, but less than the food issue. A bit of antihitamine helps dry up the mucous but that makes it stickier and harder to move - it's a bit of a balancing act i find. When I am in the situation where it's sticky like you describe I do a few things that help:
(1) rehydrate - get water down which helps make the stuff running and less of a problem.
(2) inhale steam from a cup of hot water - this is surprising effective I find, and when it's cooled a bit I drink it as in (1)
(3) last resort - do a nasal wash with saline. this takes a few minutes but loosens up the stuff well and it dislodges after a few minutes.

I also found that sometimes it feels like my throat is closing up, but it isn't - just a sensation. I mentioned globus hystericus to the doctor who took the approach that it's all in my head... I suspect he's a bit out of date on that condition. I found my approaces above sorted that sensation so I'm sure it was the sticky mucous in the throat causing it.

good luck

[wrecker]

I have similar problems with throat clearing, clear phlegm, cough, and these items commonly lead to chest tightness, and bronchial infections.  It seems that postnasal drip is a big cause, food allergies are a definite possibility also.  I found that the mucous would not clear on it's own for me, but if I take Mucinex daily with lots of water to stay hydrated, this seems to work well.  When you clear your throat you'll actually bring up some of that mucous, and after a day or two your able to talk again without clearing.  The problem is this is not a solution but only a temporary fix, to solve the problem you must find what is causing your body to react this way, I have yet to figure out what is causing my affliction.

[janzibel]

I have a very serious mucous problem.  It occurs every morning or every time after laying down.  I feel a thick build up of mucous, which demands to be coughed up.  It usually starts out with a very thick rubbery brownish stuff, then to thick yellowish jelly like stuff & then eventually thick clear stuff.  That is the first round.  The second round starts about a half hour to hour later, of just coughing up thick flem (phlegm).  I have lower back problems, which are made worse from the constant coughing every morning.  It consumes the first 2 hours of every morning of my life, & has for a few years now.  I think my pcp thinks it is all in my head, excuse the pun, & has no idea how extreme this is.  I have been to an ent, & actually 2 years ago had surgery to reduce my turbinettes, but it seems, the problem came back even worse than before.  My ent can't seem to help me either.  My next stop is, another ct scan & a visit to the allergist.  I am so frustrated with this condition & can't seem to get any solutions from any doctors, even the specialists.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

[Bert1]

I am relieved to find out that I am not the only one to be experiencing this problem, though it's not a nice thing for anyone to go through.

I have not had a history of throat problems but for the past year I have had a 'sticky' throat where it feels like I have something stuck in my throat. No amount of trying to clear my throat seems to work as it never feels like it has all gone. Ironically, it seems less blocked up when I have a cold when I am constantly blowing my nose.

When i blow my nose or try to spit it out when I haven't got a cold, it is a clear, sticky substance.

I have tried various decongestant remedies that don't work as i thought it might be that. My mum suggested apple cidar vinegar but have not been able to get hold of it as pharmacies and herbal remedy shops don't seem to stock it or know what I am asking for.

I went to the doctors about it but they weren't very helpful and so have tried to find information out for myself. However, there doesn't seem to be much on the matter and would like to find out if any methods have worked for anyone.

[timbob]

I have been having my  throat problem and sinus problem for about 2 years. Doctors say that i am having an allergy to something that is air born. When i lay down to sleep there is no problem but when i am up rite i am always trying to clear my throat to try to get the hair ball out but it will not come out. I have been tested for all types of common allery components such as mold,pollen,cat,dog but dustmites cam up posative. From what my doctor said he seems to think that it is something in my environment. Is there a lab that can test my vacuum bag sample of what is in my environment? does anyone know if ozone generators work? I have 7 other siblings none of them have problems like this. I am sick and tired of this problem. I do know that my girlfriend is a pack rat and there are many areas that we can't clean effectively. This problem seems to be the same all year round.

[annahelen]

I have also been suffering from excessive phlegm in my throat for about a year. one night I actually woke up choking on it which made me realise how bad it had got, and i went to the doctors. He prescribed ranitidine on the assumption that it was GERD. I took these for a few weeks but it didn't seem to make any difference, and I had side effects from it, so stopped. However, I continued to modify my diet, making sure I didn't eat fruit on an empty stomach (as i used to do all day long at work), cutting out caffeine, cutting down alcohol and curries. I also drink lots of fluid now and also take aloe vera juice. After several weeks of this I would say that my phlegm problem is about 3/10 of what it was before. It still varies from day to day.
I have a theory which I'm testing at the moment that it is caused by evening primrose oil and possibly also flax oil tablets that I have been taking for a similar length of time as I have had the problem. Has anyone found they have been allergic to these 'health-giving' oils? Or maybe they cause reflux in me. It is a shame if this is true as I do find them helpful for my skin and menstrual problems, but the phlegm when it is bad is so frightening that I woud be glad to give up taking then to cure it.

[janzibel]

The only thread of a possible solution I found in another comment, which I am definitely going to try.  This person was given Levaquin, 500 mg, for 30 days & has had good success with it.  The reason why I think this might be a very good answer to this horrid phlegm problem that we are all writing about & almost willing to sell our soul for a resolution is this:  I used to have this excess phlegn problem following a 10 day regimen of antibiotics for a sinus infection, however, after a couple of weeks it would go away, until about 5 yrs ago, when, it decided to call my body home.  I think for some of us, a regular 10 day regimen of antibiotics cures the primary problem, but does not completely get rid of all of it, thus, we are left with this lovely coughing till we puke to try to get out the nasty phlegm to no avail.  I would give my I teeth, not to have to go through this constant hacking up stuff that looks like an alien life form.
I have an appt with an allergist that my husband has seen and I'm going to prompt him for the levaquin.  He currently has my husband on it just in order to clear out his sinuses enough so that the ENT can go in & do surgery for his chronic sinusitus.
I hope this info can help any of you out there going through this unwelcome guest in our lifes.

[coughing_woman]

Need some help here.I've got this problem on which my throat always had mucus. And I feel so desperate because everytime I talked for about 5 minutes there is always a mucus formed on my throat..I feel so bad and didn't know what to do..I've been suffering a lot with this problem.The sad thing is that we are only poor and cannot afford the antibacterial..Please help me..

[Need411]

For the past few days I've been having a problem with mucus in my throat. I've had acid reflux disease for a few years now. Do you think it has something to do with that? In the mornings is when I'm able to cough it up. I'm assuming it's a viral infection.

[avine_ragnaa]

Hi there, i'm 23, f, and I suffer from very unpleasant case of permanent post nasal drip, have had it for over 6 months now. I am quite positive that it developed due to my former excessive use of cocaine as I often had sinusitis and similar minor problems. Obviously due to this condition I ceased using the drug and also had to cut down on my smoking, which are probably the only good things that came out of it.
I have tried several standard procedures, e.G. Nasal sprays, nasal wash, anti-histamines, steroid sprays, inhaling but nothing has really made any difference.
It feels all the time there is something in my throat so I have to cough all the time as if to clear my throat, when I cough it's a kind of dry cough that nearly makes it feel like there is actually something in there, my tonsils feel weird most of the time (tho not inflamed or particularly sore, just... Weird) and I can actually feel the mucus accumulating there at the back and it's really thick and hard to swallow. When I breathe deeply I can hear weird wheezy noises coming from my throat (not chest), from around the area where the cough comes from. These noises are really the most disturbing part of it, it's a little worse when I lie down like to go to sleep and lie on my back,it feels like if something was partially in the way of breathing and because I hear this strange noise I often can't go to sleep for hours.
I was just wondering if anyone on here knows anything about this or knows of similar experience and could therefore advice or at least offer some peace of mind that this is normal for this condition.
Is there any connection with pnd and later developing throat cancer?
Haven't seen ENT specialist yet as I live in the UK and must wait about 4 months for an appointment (...).
Those of you who have similar condition only will understand how annoying and exhausting this can be and how much it impairs one's life. I'm really desperate and I would give anything to have it back to normal. I have done a little internet research and am going to try this Sinus irrigation device called Hydropulse.
If that doesn't work, there is little hope anything else will.
But hey if it works for me I will let you know.
Take care,
Avine

[Amber231846]

I am twenty years old.I cough up mucous AT LEAST 5 times per day. The time of day when it is most abudant is in the morning, in the morning it is usually brown. Throughout the day it is white, are clear. I have had this problem for about 10 months. I run out of breath easily, i have night sweats, and this condition is affecting my everyday life.

[Ginda D]

Ginda D
03/15/2006
C7  . I am 30 years old and I have been a social smoker for almost 15 years. I will go months w/out smoking and on a Sat. night I may smoke a 1/2 pack of cigarettes or I may go on vacation and smoke the whole week. I quit social smoking about a year and a 1/2 ago except for one night in Dec. About a month ago I noticed some blood in my phlegm so I went to the Dr. and I was put on an antibiotic and was sent for a chest x-ray, the x-ray was normal. Now I am spitting all the time, my lungs hurt I am spitting so much to examine my phlegm. I have noticed when I get out of the shower there are a few black/dark gray specks in my spit. I am so scared that something is wrong w/me! Could the specks just be because I used to smoke and my lungs are cleaning out. I don't know if I am just noticing them now because I am spitting all the time. My Dr. did not mention about a CT scan, she said cancer would show up on an x-ray, but that is not what I am reading on the web.

Thanks!
Gina

[tomalex]

A related discussion, saliva or phlegm? was started.

[stingray01]

A related discussion, sticky phlegm was started.

[lancor]

A related discussion, flem (phlegm) black gray specks was started.