Thick mucous in larnyx

[edaho]

I have a continuous problem with thick mucous in my throat.  I must clear my throat a hundred times a day.  My larnyx gets so full of the thick mucous that I almost choke and it causes my eyes to water.  When this happens I hack up about a quarter cup of the stuff.  

I went to an ENT specialist who diagnosed sinusitis due to restricted airflow because of a deviated septum.  After two surgeries for this there is no improvment.  I've tried Musinex and steroid nose sprays.  Nothing seems to help.  

I've read that this could be Laryngopharyngeal reflux and could be treated with Medrol or Budesonide.  Could this be true?


This discussion is related to Excessive Thick Mucous in Throat-- HELP!!!.

[130gunner]

Thanks for your insight edaho, I can't really gripe too much, about the VA, I know they are way overbooked, I go to the Michael DeBakey Veterans Hospital in Houston, and it's always packed. But I always have to keep in mind that if it weren't for them I would not have medical care, just can't afford the civilian docs. But it is frustrating when you get a kid fresh out of med school, wet behind the ears making a snap decision about your health without a thought to how you feel. To him you're right out of his textbook, and he hasn't learned to listen to his patients yet (some never learn).

Anyway,I'll be looking forward to the barium test it'll be an experience I'm sure.
I have to say if it is GERD, yeah...better than the other thoughts going on in my head. I was a smoker for 20 years, but I've been smoke free for 26 years, but that's no guarantee I'm home free. I actually quit when the doctor diagnosed me with the Lupus, I was in so much pain then I didn't care how it ended, but the doctor said I would feel better if I quit; so that was my incentive (hardest thing I ever did). It did help, but most days I still wake up feeling like I got hit by a bus. Now with this condition it just adds more to deal with everyday. I did ask my primary care doc at the VA if this could be the Lupus, and he did say it is a possibility, but to reach that diagnosis I have to go through the process of eliminating other possible causes.

You know I had heard that snuff was used medicinally back when so you may be right.

So do you feel you are getting any closer to finding out what is plaguing you?

Oh I meant to tell you I did have nasal surgery some 28 years ago. They reamed out the nasal turbinate's so I could breathe, but as soon as the scar tissue formed I lost the benefit of the surgery; it brought me back to square zero. Still have to breathe through my mouth most of the time.
Since you had that surgery (or similar) you probably experienced the stuffed sausages they stuff up your nose to put pressure while it heals. I will never forget when the doc removed them, and I literally felt like those things were going to suck my brains right out of my head. Terrible experience!
Sorry, I'm rambling again (drives my wife crazy), so I'll stop, and if I find out a great revelation from the test I will share this new found wisdom with you all. Hang in there all!
    

[edaho]

I've also had disappointing results from the medical field.  A VA doctor who kept telling me that what I had was normal - without even examining me.  A civilian doctor who said one sinus was plugged and infected and referred me to an ENT surgeon who operaed on that and also repaired a deviated septum - twice!  All with no improvements.

Even though I do not have allergies, allergy medications do help somewhat.  Accupressure does help me somewhat too.  

Another thing I have noticed is that too much coffee seems to aggravate the problem.  I just returned from a trip overseas, where the coffee was terrible and I drank more water instead, which seemed to help too.  More hydration keeps the mucous thinner.  Coffee is a diaretic.

If you have burning in the chest you probably do have GERD. That doesn't mean that is what is causing your problem in the throat though, even if it can be a contributing cause.  I have acid reflux and Omeprazole keeps that under control.

In own my case I sometimes wonder if the problem might be genetic.  My father and two older brothers seemed to have the same probem, though not nearly as bad as I have.  Maybe  something my family all ate or drank could be a factor.  The women in my family never seemed to be affected though.  It really is a mystery.

Good luck with your ENT tests.  That barium swallow test is an ordeal.  I had one when I had a hernia/intestine attachment that blocked my entire gut.  I couldn't keep it down and barfed all over my hospital bed.  I warned the attendants that I was going to gag but they never got me a barf bag.  They just stood ther like dummies while I struggled to hold it down.  I'll bet the next time they did that test they had one handy, lol.

One more thing I've noticed.  If I sneeze it seems to break all that gunk loose and I can get rid of it all in a couple of minutes, both from the sinused and throat. .  A century ago, men used to use snuff to make themselves sneeze.  I wonder if it was for relief from this problem?  A ittle pepper would do the same thing.

[130gunner]

Just what everyone wants is another newbie with no answers, just symptoms very similar to the posts I've been reading fervently.
First thanks to all for interesting reading, and a little hope that I may not have head or neck cancer or the like. When you have these symptoms all kinds of things pop in you head when you go on the web searching desperately for answers.
I have been suffering with the hacking of mucous (which I actually think is produced from my lungs, and not post nasal drip. I suffer with it everyday without letup, and I never know when I will have a bad episode. I'm a vet too edaho, still working, bothering everybody on my floor due to my constant clearing of my throat till it spasms so much I have to leave the open area where I work and go outside due to the embarrassment of these attacks.
Not all the time but most of the time I also have a burning in my upper chest (last VA x-ray showed to be unremarkable). I also have swollen glands in my throat on either side of my neck that do not subside. Now my upper airway is so plugged I can't breathe through my nose at all, this started last week. Something odd too....I get this smell of car exhaust, no matter where I'm at if an attack hits I smell the exhaust??
The VA Pulmonologist saw me (many months ago) for less than 10 minutes and said you have GERD. I do not, and have not had heartburn; I'm not overweight (lost 100 lbs. by changing my diet), so I disagree with his findings, but I did take the meds he prescribed for acid reduction (he said I wouldn't notice a difference for at least 8 weeks; it's been 16 weeks, and no difference). I am scheduled for an ENT exam on the 8th of July with a barium swallow test the same day. I am so frustrated, and not knowing is truly maddening! So believe me when I say I sympathize, and empathize what you all are going through.
I pray we can get this solved, and get relief, oh how I wish. It truly is life altering.
Slight background on me...I am a Viet Nam Vet. 1969-1971, was exposed to Agent Orange and diagnosed with SLE (Lupus) in 1983 by a Rheumatologist at Baylor College of Medicine. I sometimes wonder if the Lupus isn't attacking me in a new and improved way?
I've had everything from skin rashes (discoid), kidney (luckily went into remission), muscle, and bone/joint involvement (which is current) most of my days.
I'm just really discouraged, especially since I have so many battles to fight already. Sorry don't mean to complain just frustrated.

[edaho]

In my case, I have dentures.  And I use an anti-bacterial mouth rinse every day.  But I am a firm believer in using hydrogen peroxide.  Did you know that one swallow of 3% h2o2 will stop a migraine headache? Yucky, but ffective.

[ROC1]

I HAVE HEARD THAT  ONE OF THE REASONS FOR EXCESS MUCUS COULD BE CAUSED BY MOUTH BACTERIA FROM  MAYBE THE TEETH . ONE TEST IS TO TRY A SMALL AMOUNT OF 3% HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AS A MOUTH WASH (DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK )AND IF IT FIZZES EXCESSIVELY YOU COULD HAVE EXCESSIVE MOUTH BACTERIA THAT COULD CAUSE MUCUS PROBLEMS. I REALLY DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE. IF YOU TRY THIS PLEASE POST THE RESULTS. I STRESS I REALLY DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE OR NOT.

[edaho]

Oops, didn't get the URL in

http://www.acupressure.com/articles/colds_and_flu.htm