could it be?

[drip drip]

I work at a auto smog shop, I've been feeling mucus in my airway, I also feel mucus and the urge of coughing right after I eat sometimes, my doctor treated me for different reasons, first, for Astmha, then for Gerd, then for Allergies, it has subsided a little but still feel it, today I went to another doctore, he is treating me for gerd and allergies and post nasal drip, I am on Claritin, Protonix and sudafed 30 mg or a month, he said, my symptoms sound more like postnasal drip combination of Gerd, does this make any sense? could my work enviroment cause my mystereous mucus in my airway or is it really post nasal drip, I do feel mucus in the back of my throat often specially when I go to sleep at night, it's like drip drip. is my doctor treating me the proper way? do I need further actual testing? which he said I could do endoscopy, but he said, it sounds more like allergies and lets treat is so. any help will help me to ease my mind.
     Thank you.
      drip drip

[National Jewish]

Working in an auto smog shop probably exposes you to a lot of pollutants, which could cause an ongoing runny nose and postnasal drip.  Your symptoms are probably due to your work environment, if they go away completely or at least get better when you are away from work for an extended period of time, such as a vacation.  When you return to work if your symptoms return or worsen this would show that your symptoms are due to your work environment.  If your symptoms are no better when you are away from work, it may be time for an ENT evaluation with a CT scan of the nose and sinuses.

Postnasal drip (PND) is drainage from the nose and sinuses dripping down the back of the throat.  There could be several reasons for this drainage.  One is an allergic reaction to inhaling something.  A second reason is a non-allergic, non-infectious inflammation in the sinuses.  A third reason is chronic sinusitis.  Postnasal drip can cause coughing as a result of irritation of the throat and lungs.  You may experience the postnasal drip as a constant feeling of mucus in the back of your throat.  This can be worse when you go to sleep at night.  As long as you are not on a fluid restriction you should be drinking 6 to 8 8-ounce glasses of non-caffeine non-alcoholic fluid daily.  This will thin the mucus so that it moves more easily.  A nasal wash helps remove mucus from the nose and sinuses.  This can temporarily reduce the postnasal drip and lessen coughing.  A prescription nasal steroid spray decreases nasal swelling and mucus production.  This may prevent the postnasal drip and coughing.  To get the most out of a nasal steroid spray use it after doing a nasal wash.  A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms.  It may require several weeks of routine use to become effective.  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.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the back flow of stomach contents, including digestive juices, into the esophagus or food tube.  This is most commonly called acid reflux or heartburn.  This reflux can come all the way up into the mouth and nose.  When this happens the material can be aspirated, dribbling into the windpipe and lungs.  GERD can cause the following symptoms:
· Heartburn or a sour taste in the mouth;
· Pain occurring in the middle of the chest;
· Coughing and/or choking while lying down; and
· Increased trouble breathing while asleep.
A pH probe measures the acid in your esophagus to see if digestive juices are coming up from your stomach.  Please read our Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/reflux.html for more information.  A gastroenterologist is the type of specialist to let you know if further testing is needed to identify GERD and the best treatment.