gurgling(rhonchi) sound in my chest and coughing to clear the sound

[mbdlsu]

Hi,
Im a 26 year old male with a 5 year smoking background. well about 3 months ago I started to have Post nasal drip and coughing to clear the mucus off my chest, when ever i dont clear it i can hear a gurgling sound whenever i breathe. I went to see a doctor last week and he said that i had a lot of mucus in my lungs and probably the Post nasal drip is causing it then he just gave me some flonase for the nose allergies and a ENTEX for the cough.

I dont feel any shortness of breath when ever i work or anything the only time i kinda feel SOB is when (please dont laugh) im having sex and my gf is on top and her whole weight is pressed against my chest, thats the only time i need to exert more effort on breathing. But i dont think thats shortness of breath, because there is something heavy pressed against my chest.   And usually the gurgling and Post nasal drip worsens if im outstide.

Im just worried i dont want to have emphysema and im still young. Im also in the process of quitting smoking i am down to 3 sticks a day from my previous half a pack a day habit, and hopefully next week i will be down to 1 stick then none. If any one can help me please post. I just dont want to have emphysema, and i hope this gurgling sound goes away.

[Sunny602]

Good luck with your PFT's today....I am glad that you are getting them done so that you can see what your functions are.
I believe that GERD could cause rhonchi with wheezing....It can mimic asthma very closely due to aspiration of reflux into the lungs.
Also, your rhonchi could be from recently quitting smoking....I can tell you that my sister had an awful cough for a few weeks after she quit until her lungs were cleared of the mucous that sat in there for so long. Are you bringing much up or just coughing?
As far as GERD concerns, talk to your doctor...he should order some tests to see if that is indeed a problem with you. Once you are on meds, you should see a huge difference if GERD is causing this.
Sunny :)

[mbdlsu]

I have stopped smoking for 5 days now, the rhonchi/ wheezing dont seem to happen that much anymore. It usually happens when im lying on my side (not always) when sleeping, and during or just after i eat. The sound now is not as gurgly as before its more huskier.
Now im thinking that this is probably caused by foreign body aspiration in my bronchi probably my glottis is damaged from smoking.

But its getting better everyday i believe, except the occasional anxiety attacks from nicotine withdrawal.

Im scheduled for pulmonary function tests on thursday. I hope that would rule out Emphysema.

Can GERD cause rhonchi? or is it possible that aspiration of a foreign body might case rhonchi?

[Sunny602]

Not usually, those that get early onset emphysema usually have an underlying problem such a genetic disorder called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency for example. It is great that you are quitting smoking....Some people experience more of a cough when they do quit smoking as a result of their cilia returning back to normal in their lungs. Cilia is responsible for sweeping debris and other junk out of the lungs, cigarette smoke paralyzes their action so everything essentially remains in the lungs. I don't think that you have emphysema after 5 years of smoking but if your symptoms keep up, I would see a doctor to make sure nothing else is going on with you.

Also, post nasal drip might mean that you have allergies and can increase coughing as well. Taking some allergy medication might help...if it doesn't then talking to your doc would be wise.

Good luck with quitting, I hope you feel better soon...Sunny

[mbdlsu]

Thanks for the reply.

Well i believe i dont have emphysema yet. cause i dont have shortness of breath. but im just really bothered of the possibility of me having emphysema and that gurgling sound when i breathe. whenever i cough it out the sound goes away for a while.

is it possible to get emphysema even if your just 26 years old?

[michaelgc]

I used to have the same problem, but I ignored it, and now have emphysema. If you don't want to get it, quitting smoking is definitely in your best interest. Among the other health complications, the longer you smoke, the harder it gets to quit. I threw half a pack of cigs up on my desk one night after 5 years of smoking, and just walked away from the habit with very few serious cravings and little withdrawal. But I picked the habit back up again 8 mos. later for a very stupid reason, and now quitting is a major problem, and I no longer have much choice (the choice is quit or die, and the timer is almost run out).

Go ahead and quit, and if the gurgling sound/feeling (mine used to feel like I was perking thick coffee) and PND don't clear up, go back to your Dr. If you need some incentive, come spend a weekend with me. My O2 concentrator is a DeVilbiss 525, which is the quietest one, so it shouldn't bother you much, and the tubing I use is easy to spot as I move around the house, so it's pretty easy to avoid tripping over it....