I've been diagnosed with Bronchiectasis a couple of months ago. But recently the phlegm I'm bringing up has grey strands in it. Does anybody have this ?
Yes lots of times - and sometimes little black bits. They don't seem to do any harm and I always wonder if they are caused by air pollution.
Hi!
I've had grey a few times. It *usually* goes along with an upper respiratory or sinus infection, but you can also have it if your lungs are trying to expel pollutants, like smoke or dust. (I did work in newspaper distribution for a couple of years in the late 2000s, and sometimes, after a day of handling freshly printed newspapers, I'd sneeze out or cough up mucus that was grey or black. I was glad to get rid of that job.)
I'd suggest mentioning it to your doctor to see if there's some underlying infection or irritation that needs treatment.
Operalyn, if you live in an area where air pollution is a problem, that's a distinct possibility.
I don't get it often now but every time I visit London I do!
As other people have mentioned, it could be due to pollution. Usually, the darker the mucus, the more issues you have. My mucus gets dark when I have a sinus (drainage) or lung infection. The mucus lightens up to a white or lite yellow when the infection clears.
I went to the Drs and did a sputum sample and it came back with Strep pneumonia. On antibiotics for 2 weeks.