bloody sputum

[fatewatcher]

Hey guys, I had a quick question.  I went to my ent a few months ago for a pharyngoscopy and he said my nasal passages were  fine, no tumors, a tiny bit of redness in the end of the nasal passage by the throat but nothing to be alarmed about.

then i went last week for a chest x ray and again, nothing out of the ordinary. no tumors nothin, nada, zilch.

so he said it could be rhinitis.  

i started using a neti pot and a&d ointment just inside the front part of the inside of the nose.

the blood in my sputum started to lessen greatly.


anyway, here's the thing, i spit this morning for a while and it was clear for the first 5-6 times.  then i thought "hey why dont i hack up harder and try to really spit this time" then i did that for a while and it was clear still.  then after the 10-11th time i started to see a tiny dot of pink the size of a period on a standard keyboard. then i kept spitting and tryin to hack up more loogies and it got pinker and pinker.  eventually i sneezed and saw a hairline of fresh blood the length of an eye lash.  

anyway, it seems that unless i really hack up some spit it doesn't appear.  is this something to worry about?  and what other tests could i get?

btw, my throat is always itchy all day long, and my nose and throat are always dry in the mornings.  do you think this could be serious? or just allergies?

also, sorry to make this so long, but i have had a history of harsh nose blowing and coughing in the past from routine colds that i would get very often. i mean, i would blow my nose so much and so loud that people would say "hey! knock it off".  maybe it's the post nasal drip?  i really dont know.

i'm only 25 years old but i'd like to hear what you might have to say.  i used to smoke but i quit a few months ago because i found them becoming expensive.

[bsmsl]

As someone with a similar history of violent coughing, I would strongly recommend that you see an allergist and be evaluated for both allergies and asthma.  Also, the old saying, "If it hurts, stop it" should be followed.  Don't force the phlegm up to the point that you see the blood, but if you have to cough hard and it comes up that is another story.  You have to get the gunk up some how.  

Also, my GP automatically puts me on antibiotic when I am coughing up blood.  That has only happened twice.  The first time he immediately called in the script.  The second time I was already on antibiotics from my allergist and he said it was a good thing.  We are in the same social circle so both of these incidents were outside the office.  He is not too concerned, but it seems to be an indicater that antibiotics are needed.

Feel better.

[OHNS2010]

Hi,

You seem to be in perfect health, there are hardly any problems in you. You are trying to build up the problems which is not warranted. Your ENT surgeon has examined you thoroughly and managed accordingly. According to his examinations you do not seem to have any major problem, you were also better off with the medicines. Why do you want to induce coughing or blowing your nose so forcefully just to check whether it bleeds or not? Please, do stop that at once. The more you strain the more will be the submucosal bleeding which will make you more anxious and lead to a false diagnosis.

I would suggest you to drink plenty of water (to rehydrate the dry mucosa), avoid coffee, tea and alcohol for few days. If you are having any acidity problems try taking proton pump inhibitors (such as Esomeprazole). Hope this should solve most of your problems.

Regards
OHNS2010