thick and sticky phlegm

[budz5440]

Should I be concerned with thick and sticky phlegm when I cough

[National Jewish Health]

Yes, because a cough with "sticky phlegm" is definitely abnormal.  However, it is not necessarily a sign of serious disease, since the most common cause is inflammation of the nose and/or sinuses that cause postnasal drip.  Asthma is another common cause.  Given that, the cough and phlegm should not be ignored.

You should see your doctor and have a chest x-ray for starters.

[dllfo]

I started expelling sputum about 6 years ago.  I thought I had a cold or sinus condition but it stayed with me.  I was embarrassed because I had it 24/7.  I went to an allergist who tested me and said I had allergies and asthma.   After 6 years of trying everything he knew, my Allergist told me to go find a Pulmonologist.  During a Bronchoscopy,
I quit breathing 3 times. My wife watched this.  The Pulmonologist had to remove the camera through my nose, put an oxygen mask on me...but I wouldn't breathe.  He would then yell "Breathe, xxxxx, Breathe..." and I would.  He put the camera in and after 3 identical situations, he said he "had enough."

I was sent to the National Jewish Hospital in Denver, CO last summer.  My week of testing lasted a little over a month.   I was sent there for low oxygen levels and they found a hole/tear in my Atrials.  Echocardiagram with Agitated Saline and a stress test and they saw bubbles on both sides of my heart. The next day their head of Cardiology told my wife and I about it and the next day the Univ. of Colorado surgeons
inserted an "Occluder" (don't have my card with me, so I may have misspelled it).

What we found along the 7 year path was that a major car wreck on the interstate
may have caused this heart problem.  I have Vocal Cord Dysfunction (used Heliox) until NJC taught me how to "breathe through it", I believe I have CCHS because of problems at birth, and problems now.  NJC ran my Pulse Ox down to 18 while I sat there talking to them.  I wondered why we had so many people in that room for one simple test.  My brain does not seem to notice when my oxygen levels go down.

My sleep test showed CSR, Central/Complex Apneas, and other bad things.  I now
sleep with a Respironics BiPap Auto SV and have hit 30cmH2O for 30 straight minutes per Encore Pro software.  I also use oxygen on bad days.

My belated point is, it all started because I had sputum output 24/7 and was embarrassed to tell anyone.  I highly commend your courage and honesty for reaching out.  BTW, as I told my friends about NJC, this Respiratory Hospital has been rated #1 in the nation for 11 straight years.  Their walls are not made of gold, but their people are.  To Dr. C. and his staff, God Bless You from the bottom of my heart and I wish you all a long a happy life.

Moral is, keep asking questions and if you don't find a cure, go elsewhere.  Never quit until you find the answer.  Oh, why do I expel sputum?  I was told it is caused by second hand cigarette smoke. I never smoked anything in my life, but my parents did.

[sunshinejay7]

I began with a cough for two weeks and them developed a terrible cold with a completely blocked nose and the cough worsened gradually.  I now have a stickly phlegm coming from my cough and loads of pleghm build up constantly in my nose.  I have had a chest xray and they diagnosed it as chronic bronchitis although I have never had this before.  Doctors prescribed eritrocina and mucolitics and teofillina but I do not seem to be getting any better.  What must I do???

[Dee52]

You should make a appointment with your doctor any time you have thick phlegm !
Thick, sticky, stringy mucus secreted by the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, as during a cold or other respiratory infection
It sounds like you have a respiratory infection or it could be one of many things the important thing is to get to a doctor.  I'm sure the doctor on this forum will give you additional informaton as well as members.
I hope you let us know what your doctor says.
Good luck,
Dee