Constent Throat Clearing

[Lenemay]

I am a 54 year old female, healthy, work out regularily, do not smoke.  About 6-8 months ago I developed the followining symtoms.  Constant clearing of throat.  When I try to clear or cough up the only thing that comes up is clear, very thick silvia.  It is soo think that sometimes it appears to be jelly like. I am very hoarse/raspy in the moring but within 1-3 minutes this clears up. I went to an allergist, he ran some tests & said he did not think it was allergies, he thought it might be acid reflux.  I then went to my ENT dr.  who concluded the same thing.  I have now been on Nexium for approx. 21/2 months and see no great difference.  When he started me on Nexium he also put me on Singulair and Musenex.  I stopped taking these b/c of cost and the Singulair was starting to make my teeth hurt.  I have also been put on antibiotics 3 times since January, 2005.  The symtons actually seem to inprove for a week or so following the round of antibiotics, then return.  The ENT dr told me I need to stay on the Nexium at least 4-6 months, but I've also read that you should not stay on it more than 8 weeks and I am now getting diarrearha.  I would appreciate some direction.

[Clio]

I'm the same - constantly clearing the throat, sore by the end of the day, and frequent choking - day and night-time. I've had various things poked up my nose and down my throat and was told that it was irritation from mucus, but not what it was caused by.

Looks to me like standard medicines don't work very well in this case. I'm 39 and also can get very negative about the future. I guess I've just got to try different things, so I'm going to look into herbal/homeopathic stuff, as well as maybe taking certain things out of the diet like dairy foods, etc.

[droof]

I have more days than not of hacking up gunk from my throat.  I work for G.I., respiratory, and allergy physicians, and they've treated me with everything they can think of.  It isn't reflux: I've had 2 upper endoscopies.  It isn't asthma, although I do have mild asthma sometimes.  It isn't coming from my sinuses: I've been worked up by an ENT specialist too, with a CT scan of my head showing no problems.  I have some allergies to grasses, but I don't have a bunch of symptoms in the sinus area. I have been taking allergy desensitization shots for 17 months now, and really can't feel any difference.  I'm just constantly clearing my throat and by the end of the day, my throat is sore from doing it.  I can't cough this stuff up.  I wake up coughing in the night.  If I had to guess, I'd say it's allergic in nature, but I can take every antihystamine in the cupboard, and nothing impacts it.   I'm starting to think that it will be this way until I'm dead.  I am completely at a loss for options.

[Inanga]

i had something similar - don't know if the cause is the same but the symptoms are defintely similar. The cause of my excess mucous was food allergies. And seasonal pollen allergies. I avoid wheat, gluten, soy and dairy and can breathe normally again with no drip. good luck finding the cause of your troubles.

[getwellrealsoon]

I have the same problem and I drown in my own mucus. In the first year that I had it, an inhaler called Spiriva totally cured me of the problem. But when it returned the following year, Spiriva had less effect. I am still trying to find a cure for it. As soon as I breathe cold air, the flow of mucus from my nose starts and my saliva thickens and it all gets clogged up in my throat.

[National Jewish]

The only other consideration is that these symptoms are the result of an inflammation, possibly an infection, within the sinuses.  This type of problem can produce drainage down the back of the throat on a regular basis.  This is a relatively easy diagnosis to make.  A CT scan of the sinuses will make or eliminate this diagnosis.  If the CT is normal, I would continue to purse the reflux as the most likely cause.