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Chronic cough with mucus
I have read several messages from people with similar symptoms such as mine - cough mainly in AM with mucus, again in the evening. I plan to try some of the suggestions such as taking an antihistamine/decongestant and a remedy for GERD (although I do not have symptoms of that particular problem). I have been hacking for about 3 months, have been to the doctor who has given me antibiotics along with cough medicines. Seems to help a bit but then I'm hacking again. I do have an Albuterol inhaler that seems to help somewhat but the only way I get relief is when I expel copious amounts of mucus. I was interested in some of the causes listed for those with similar symptoms as mine, i.e., post nasal drip (I do have that), chronic sinus problems (I had sinus surgery about 4 years ago), heartburn (don't think I have that problem), asthma (I believe I have that although my MD doesn't seem to agree), allergies (a possibility). The one cause that interested me was side effects of blood pressure meds. I have been on blood pressure meds for at least 10 years. Is it possible that is what's causing my problems? I do plan on starting a regime of Prilosec (in case GERD is my problem) as well as an antihistamine/decongestant. Any other help or suggestions would be so greatly appreciated.
Hi. I found this site to be of great comfort since I too have been battling with tons of mucus for months and months now. I have been to numerous amounts of doctors and have been given the run around so many times I am beginning to lose hope with doctors in general. My symptoms began in May of 05 and I was told I had acid reflux. I have been on acid medication (Zegerid) since then with no real improvement. Over the past several months I have been to a gastrologist (who performed an endoscopy and said I had minor inflammation), an ENT who confirmed I had lots of post nasal drip but not sure why. He referred me to an allergist who did allergy tests and said I was allergic to dust and mold but not to a significant degree. I have constant mucus in my throat that just won't go away. I feel like my gag reflex has become super sensitive since all this has happened and I often gag on the mucus(sometimes to the point of throwing up) Constant cough and throat clearing. Have been told I sound like an old smoker although I am only 25 and have not smoked a cigarette in my life. I feel like this is beginning to give me great anxiety as sometimes I feel like my airway is being blocked off since there is so much **** down there. I'm not sure what I should be taking to get rid of this. I've tried saline sprays and nasal washes. I took an antihistimine tonight and my throat feels about 10 times worse (I did some research and found that antihistimines stop the post nasal drip but make the mucus thicker and harder to move. A medicication with a antihistimine/decongestant mix seems to be the way to go) I have another ENT appointment next week. I know they will tell me I have post nasal drip. I already know that. I would like to know WHY. What is causing it. How are we suppossed to get rid of it if we don't know the cause? I feel like I am at my wits end and it is beginning to disrupt my life. I hope we all eventually find something to relieve our symptoms and I have great sympathy for everyone who has to deal with this on a daily basis! Thanks for letting me rant :)
since my last post I have nailed my allergy down to corn/maize. I can eat bread without maize starch fine, but bread containing 1% maize starch starts up the mucous after a couple of bites. The more I eat the worse ti gets and the longer it lasts. NOw it's identified more closely I can avoid it better and I gerneally don't need to resort to antihistamine anymore. When I was taking it I found taking a tablet made the mucous awefully hard and sticky and impossible to move. It also gave me constipation - a drying effect on intestinal mucous I guesss. I tried half a tablet which helped a bit but i found the liquid dorm so much more practical. I have whittled it down to the occasional 1 or 2 millilitres at a time, maybe twice a day. But like I said since learning to avoid corn properly I have stopped needed the zyrtec.
On the occasions when I had taken too much zyrtec - and i mean too much for me - i never got anywhere near overdosing - when the mucous got to thick and hard to move I tried a saline nasal wash - this softened it up enough to get it out. Sometimes if the saline was too salty it ouwld make it worse - then I'd rinse with a weak solution and be okay. But I found that these washes seemed to increase the number of sinus infections I was getting. I canged my technique to flush out from the nostril to my throat while not letting it get into my sinues. This helped.
In summary I'd say post nasal drip may well be an allergic reaction so your mission (and you should choose to accept it) is to identify the allergen and avoid it like the plague.
On the occasions when I had taken too much zyrtec - and i mean too much for me - i never got anywhere near overdosing - when the mucous got to thick and hard to move I tried a saline nasal wash - this softened it up enough to get it out. Sometimes if the saline was too salty it ouwld make it worse - then I'd rinse with a weak solution and be okay. But I found that these washes seemed to increase the number of sinus infections I was getting. I canged my technique to flush out from the nostril to my throat while not letting it get into my sinues. This helped.
In summary I'd say post nasal drip may well be an allergic reaction so your mission (and you should choose to accept it) is to identify the allergen and avoid it like the plague.
I read your comments with great interest. The sound coming from your throat is something I had for quite some time. It was so annoying and kept me awake at night. It now seems to have stopped. As I said before, I don't know if the Prilosec I've been taking has had some bearing on me feeling better but I plan on continuing to take it even though it is supposed to be just used in 2-week doses. I found another comment you made quite interesting. You said that you also had diarrhea. I too have had this problem on and off since about 12/23. I don't have a clue if this is related to the cough/mucus symptoms or if it is another matter altogether. At first I thought it was due to eating a lot of foods during the holidays that I normally don't have. But, this has continued long after I stopped eating those foods. I've used some anti-diarrhea medications and can go 2 days being "normal" and then it hits again. I suppose I'll go back to my doctor again although I'm sure he'll tell me that I'm just fine. I mentioned in one of my previous comments that I've been using Tylenol PM at night and that it seemed to help me get through the night. Well, I thought I shouldn't be relying on a sleep aid so I stopped it a few days ago. Guess what? I've once again been waking up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep until I get rid of the mucus. So, I do believe I'll go back to using it tonight to see if I do any better. Let me know how you've been doing and tell me more about your diarrhea symptoms. Let's hope we can get to the bottom of our mutual problems.
I have been sick, the whole nine yards with similiar problems and more. In addition, I had symptoms of a stomach virus first and some symptoms continue like the diarrea. The nausea is better except for the feeling of extreme hardened mucous in the throat that "needs" to come out. I am so exhausted as I have not been sleeping.
I went to the doctor, dx'd with bronchitis and an upper respiratory infection (URI)and have been sick over a week, so I went to the doctor just two days before Christmas. I was given a cortisone type shot..dex... and pills for coughing & congestion (has psudoefedrin..sp?, guanifenesen, and dex something ...every 12 hrs., and an antibiotic, Azithromycin, but only to take two first day then one a day for just 4 more days. Its a fast acting type.
I cannot sleep more than two hrs at a time. I stay awake most of the night and wake up my husband if I try to go to bed as the moment I lay down, I start hacking or trying to clear my throat of the mucous or blowing my nose. Another aggravation is that a noise is coming out of my mouth that sounds like a rale or either bubbles or a kitten meowing. Its like its wind trying to come out a small hole to me.
I have tried the menthol/Vicks thing with the vaporizer, tried the hot liquids to drink with real honey. I used juice of an orange last night. I run hot water in my shower and put warm cloths over my face.
I also feel like someone else who wrote in that I feel like I am suffocating when it is choking me and I just can't spit it out or enough of anything out. It seems like a thin layer of mainly clear mucous but sometimes it seems to be starting to get more substance.
Desperate for ideas for help to get better. Years ago, I was in the hospital with coughing like this so much that they had to give me breathing treatments and beat on my chest. So...I even asked hubby to beat on it this morning although it is hurting in my back from several nights of coughing...as I cannot lay down at all a new series of coughing my head off.
Please, any comments would be so welcomed.
I went to the doctor, dx'd with bronchitis and an upper respiratory infection (URI)and have been sick over a week, so I went to the doctor just two days before Christmas. I was given a cortisone type shot..dex... and pills for coughing & congestion (has psudoefedrin..sp?, guanifenesen, and dex something ...every 12 hrs., and an antibiotic, Azithromycin, but only to take two first day then one a day for just 4 more days. Its a fast acting type.
I cannot sleep more than two hrs at a time. I stay awake most of the night and wake up my husband if I try to go to bed as the moment I lay down, I start hacking or trying to clear my throat of the mucous or blowing my nose. Another aggravation is that a noise is coming out of my mouth that sounds like a rale or either bubbles or a kitten meowing. Its like its wind trying to come out a small hole to me.
I have tried the menthol/Vicks thing with the vaporizer, tried the hot liquids to drink with real honey. I used juice of an orange last night. I run hot water in my shower and put warm cloths over my face.
I also feel like someone else who wrote in that I feel like I am suffocating when it is choking me and I just can't spit it out or enough of anything out. It seems like a thin layer of mainly clear mucous but sometimes it seems to be starting to get more substance.
Desperate for ideas for help to get better. Years ago, I was in the hospital with coughing like this so much that they had to give me breathing treatments and beat on my chest. So...I even asked hubby to beat on it this morning although it is hurting in my back from several nights of coughing...as I cannot lay down at all a new series of coughing my head off.
Please, any comments would be so welcomed.
Is the nasal spray you are using a prescription drug? I also have tried nasal sprays and regularly (morning and night) use a saline spray. I've been doing that since my sinus surgery. It sometimes is productive and sometimes not. On one of my visits to my doctor he said he was going to treat me as if I had bronchitis and gave me antibiotics and cough medicine. But he also said that my lungs sound clear so therefore, he wouldn't order tests of any kind. It is to the point that I really dread morning because of the hacking but as I said before, it has improved. Guess I'll continue with the Prilosec even though I have had no indication of any gastric problems. Let me know about the nasal spray and I hope you improve.
Thank you inanga and NJC-R.N.-DC for your comments and suggestions. NJC, I will check with my doctor regarding my blood pressure medications. And, inanga, I found your suggestions worth exploring. I will try the low dosage of Zyrtec to see if that helps and also will concentrate on drinking more water as well as the hot water remedy. I have been doing better the last several days - don't know if it has anything to do with now taking Prilosec or if it is just coincidental. However, I still do cough when I go to bed (not as much or as bad as it was) and the only way I've been making it through the night is by taking Tylenol PM which does contain antihistamine. And I do still bring up mucus in the morning but it's not as bad as it was. Sometimes I start coughing after eating so have thought that it may have something to do with certain foods but can't determine which ones. As I said, my appetite is sporadic - on the plus side I have lost some weight but it does make me worry a bit. Again, thanks for your comments. It really does help to know that others have the same problems as mine. Let's hope that in the new year we will feel better.
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