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Frustrating!!

I have the same thing!!! I just turned 18 years old and this has been going on since February this year.  It started off when i found it irritating to swallow solid or textured foods.  I lost ten pounds and have not eaten solid foods in months.  Some days are better than others. I cough and am always clearing my nose and throat.  It seems like certain foods irritate it and make the phlegm worse, and sometimes everything feels tight.  I sometimes also feel like i have a lump in my throat.  I am so sick and tired of this, it is driving me insane!  I drink lots of liquids and eat soup, protein shakes, yogurt, etc.  Anything that will not irritate my throat.  I have been drinking V8 and eating applesauce or pear sauce and stuff so that I am still getting veggies and fruit.  My phlegm is very thick as well and I have been on Birth Control as well as several acne medications.  My boyfriends mother is a nurse and she suggested gargling with warm salt water twice a day.  She also told me that dairy/creamy products can make it worse because of the cream.  I am thinking about switching to soy milk to use in my breakfast shakes and smoothies.  I am trying the best I can to get proper nutrition.. I melt peanut butter in the microwave for 50 seconds and eat it to get protein which is no burger but I can live with it for now.  I just would love to be able to eat and go back to my normal life... the ONLY other thing is.. I am very moody and get nervous and worry a lot about things, which my moms thinks could be due to my thyroid.. I was never like this before and I know it's not who I am.  I am currently awaiting some blood test results and hopefully we can all get to the bottom of our problems. I wish you all the best and will post any information I can find!  I am just so glad to know I am not alone


This discussion is related to phlegm in throat.
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Avatar universal
oh and stay away from dairy (which thickens mucous) - that means cream, icecream, milk, white tea, white coffee, chocolate etc etc. Alcohol also dries up moisture in the nasal and throat cavities, causing mucous to become thick and gluggy. Cut right back on wine, spirits, beer etc and also any perfumes which will irritate the nasal cillia. If you are going to be drinking, try to stay as hydrated as possible by drinking lots of water! Maybe try cutting these things out of your diet/environment for 2 weeks and see if there's an improvement.

Oh and have you tried a Neti-pot (saline solution rinse)? These are great for instant nasal relief, flushing out allergens and moistening the mucous membranes.

Thats about it I think! ;-)
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Avatar universal
hi danni,
Research something called candida albicans (I searched in google using the terms "candida albicans throat phlegm"). Its a yeast infection that you can get both in the mouth and can also cause vaginal thrush. If you've ever had any thrush infections, it'd be an idea to discuss this with your doctor and see if it could be linked to your throat problems. There are lots of treatments for yeast infections you could try - ask your doctor. I also recommend coming off the birth control pill if you're worried about it - the pill messes around with your natural hormone levels which can increase the frequency of yeast infections. The use of birth control pills could also explain your recent mood swings and nerves.

The lump in your throat may indicate the presence of tonsiliths, or 'tonsil stones'. These are hardened formations of bacteria that get lodged and develop in your tonsils. You may have coughed them up before - they're small yellow things and stink something shocking when you crush them! The excess mucous in your throat creates the perfect environment for these things to develop. What I do is take a look in the back of my throat every week in front of a mirror. Grab a free-standing torch or find a lamp or something that will give you enough light to see the back of your throat (you might even be able to see the tonsiliths straight away), pull your tongue out and hold it (I suggest using a towel or something), and then using a cotton bud stick or your finger, have a poke at your tonsils at the back of your throat and see if you can dislodge anything. Takes a bit of practice to stop yourself from gagging!

Good luck!
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