excessive thick mucus in vocal chords

[bowerpower]

I have tried everything it seems for several years to get rid of this thick mucus that comes and goes in my vocal chords. I went to an ENT again and they went down my throat with a camera and were able to show me on film the thick stringy mucus in my vocal chords. Both ENT's said they thought it was acid reflux and so I have been on Prilosec for 3 weeks now(also called omeprazole-20 mg) and yet no change yet(I have had  hardly any symptoms of acid reflux, but just recently have had little burps of gas come up from time to time but very infrequent).
    Is there anything you can take just to get the thick mucus in your vocal chords  dissolved so you can speak.  I am a professional actor and am desperate. Anybody have any luck with solving the basic problem of the mucus in the vocal chords or have any idea once it is in the vocal chords how to get immediate relief from it.  It is so discouraging that I cannot to date find a doctor who can help this problem. It seems someone should have an answer. Thanks for any help you can give me. PS  I cannot sing anymore with this problem which is devastating to me and of course has hindered my acting career(musical theatre).

[AdrianGougov]

Hey guys is the mucus any of you are coughing out green or yellow-ish? Because I have been struggling with a condition that started of as a typical sickness and completely ruined my voice. When I say completely I mean COMPLETELY. My singing voice is all covered up in a polyphonic layer of early morning-type of vocal fry that prevents me of singing anything. It improves a bit when I cough some phlegm out, but that doesn't happen everyday. I've been checked by multiple ENTs some say my folds are swollen, but they see nothing organically wrong. I've also had gastroscopy and have no reflux , and i had bronchoscopy there's nothing wrong with my lungs. they say there's nothing wrong with my nose as well. Help please. Here's a video they did on my chords in Paris 2 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tvP2DaKXyg

Thank you!

[April245]

Oh gosh, me too - exactly! Started with sickness, went completely hoarse and never completely recovered. I'm concerned that I have vocal cord paralysis. Cords in my "comfy zone" - where I sing to please myself - just won't vibrate properly and they feel sore when I try to force it. Just get vocal fry. Doctor saw slight swelling, said nothing was wrong, go to a vocal therapist. I was really annoyed with his lack of interest in what my problem really was, so I never went. Anyone else try the therapy?

[jumbosstar]

Hi
I have been having a problem with my throat for quite a few years but never looked into it till now. I realised this problem started when I hit my twenties. The problem became worse now in my thirties. I love to sing and sing in the church. Lately this problem became worse when I get nervous before singing. Usually it happens when I do warm ups – when my voice is not “woken up” or when I have had a full day of talking and start to sing. It always happens when I start to sing and it happens when I sing middle notes. I am a soprano and when I warm up at certain middle range to slightly high notes using my throat, modal or chest voice, I will have this issue. But when I use my head voice, I can overcome this problem. The problem is either a mucus or phlegm related issue and it feels like a tiny phlegm stuck between your vocal cords. When you sing, the “phlegm” vibrates with your voice making it sound like a bad vibrato. You can just hear that strange vibration sound in my voice. It is truly embarrassing and I always cover up with an AHEM clearing of my throat. After a few more times of warm up, it usually goes away. HOWEVER in recent times, I realise this problem becomes really bad and worse when I am nervous before a performance. It often happens when I use my modal voice or chest voice or whatever voice that is not my head voice, usually when I sing contemporary style. This problem started becoming worse when I discovered singing with my head voice and I started singing in a more classical style in church. Now it seems when I go contemporary, I often encounter this problem and it escalates when I am very nervous as I have always been before any performance (making me quite redundant as a solo performer). I read about acid reflux but this doesn’t sound like it. I have never seen a doctor and don’t really want to have any probing equipment into my throat or nose. Does anyone have this problem? Is this psychologically caused? What advice do you have? I don’t smoke and I eat quite alright. I may not drink enough water which I have begun to do. On a side note, I know this sounds weird but when I have something oily, it tends to “open” up my vocal chords quite well for singing (and sometimes it doesn't cause that strange vibrating phlegm problem). Many will disagree with me on this one but it has worked for me during choir practices. Oily not like deep fried but more like stir fried (like fried noodles) or with some Asian type chilli called "Sambal".

[Royet]

You guys are living the exact same nightmare I'm living. Had very bad laryngitis which I caught last year March 2016 from work (today is 11/18/17). No thanks to whoever that sick co-worker was. Tried just about everything from EENT to 2 Otolaryngologists, to family doctor, to voice therapist, to Mucinex, to antihistamine, to acid reflux meds, to hydrating, to post nasal drip homeotherapy, to voice rest for 6 weeks, to prescribed nasal steroids, to prescribed antibiotics, to neck and tongue and breathing exercises, to green tea/apple cider/lemon/honey mixes, nasal flush, aromatherapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, etc. Some gave partial relief, but no permanent fix. After the laryngitis, it took me 8 months to be able to sing low notes again... 13 months to sing shaky midrange notes, and 18 months to sing in no-volume head voice notes. The worst situation I have today is in my midrange notes. It's raspy/airy/shaky... hard to control/hit/sustain a note, vibrato is either non-existent or stressful.  I can't sing soft notes anymore because I need to push more air just to get past the mucus. My voice is totally unreliable from day to day. I play the guitar and piano so I can sing. But now I hardly play the instruments because I can hardly sing. So frustrating. With the mucusy feeling in my vocal cords, my throat muscles automatically compensate so badly that my upper throat feels extra tight when I start singing the higher notes. If I totally switch to head voice or even falcetto, then the throat relaxes a bit. But that's not what I want or how it used to be. Everything seems to tell me that I'm stuck with this condition forever, but I have always been a fighter. I know there's a solution out there somewhere. I'm 55yo now and have been singing since I was in first grade. My learned singing techniques through the years have gone out the window because my singing effort just goes into hitting and sustaining notes. A terrible feeling!  I end up forgetting some lyrics while singing because of the mucus/throat distraction. Try my solutions above as suggestions. They may have not worked for me, but it might for others.  At least it can give you new ideas to try. I'll keep looking, asking, trying.  Good luck to us.
I don't know how often I'd be in a forum like this, but email me if you want to exchange ideas... at ***@****.  Cheers!

[murrayj]

Chelsae; thank you so much.

I'm dealing with much of the same conditions you mention. My doctor is at a loss to explain what's going on. My lungs are clear; I feel I am one good lugee away from wellness. Sneezing helped tremendously; (experienced that just yesterday). I will try the anti-inflammatories. Thanks again.

[SingerForJesus]

I have had the same struggles for the past 2 years.  I don't have a perfect answer, but I have found during a recent 21-day fast with nothing but protein drinks (containing milk protein, but not milk), that it went away completely during that time!  So, I conclude that it must be food related.  As I add foods back in, I will monitor when the problem re-occurs.

[drew6522]

SingerForJesus,
Did it come back when you started to introduce more foods again?
Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

[Missdenisepa]

have been suffering with the same issue for over 5 years.  I have gone to an allergist and had 13 months of allergy shots.   Had surgery to correct a deviated septum, had sinuplasty and turbine surgery.   Took several courses of meds for acid reflux and nothing has helped.  
I also tried all types of allergy meds and it still continues.   ENT had me using a neti-pot for a year - no help.
I do not know what to do next.  
My issue is not a huge amount of mucus just a little bit.  I have to cough continuously just to break it loose, when I do I am good for a minutIe until it irritates me again.   We even tried a cough pill to help numb the throat to stop the cough cycle.
Very annoying problem and very frustrating that I cannot get any help.

[FreeofSymptoms]

I landed here as a result of my search for these symptoms. I found that by not taking a medication prescribed for me, my symptoms / problem with excessive mucus around my vocal cords and feeling like I have to clear my throat and upper right chest. The medication is Fenofibrate and if you check those symptoms are listed as a possible side effects of course if you are not taking this medication this probably does not apply to you, it never hurts to consider meds you may be taking however. Of course I am NOT a medical professional and the standard disclaimer of checking with your Dr before stopping any meds etc apply blah, blah, blah http://www.drugs.com/sfx/fenofibrate-side-effects.html