Sticky Mucus in throat is killing me slowly!

Other conditions
1

Sorry, my english is not good, but I do my best!

I have a range of destructive symptoms that have ruined my life! I´ve done numbers of tests, but no physicians have been able to find the cause! So I kindly ask if anyone have any familiarity with the complaints I have!

For the last 20 months I have been suffering from thick, sticky mucus constantly clogging in my throat. There is a war mainly in my throat! I have to cough up , (not a typical throat clearing), draw in air with pressure all the time in order to empty the sticky mucus clogging the throat! I also often experience something, maybe a liquid squeesing up towards my throat, and It often has a bad strong taste and smell! That especially is noticable during the nights and prevents me from sleeping ! At some very seldom moments/shorter periods of time, the irritations in my throat and the mucus production may stop! But this only happens when I`m lying in some spesific positions! Immediately I do a small movement in bed, the irritation and mucus production is back! I hardly can sleep because of unbearable breathing difficulties especially during the nights. The last 4-5 months I´ve experienced abdominal pain, a kind of crampy pain by lower left and right side of abdomen, mostly on the right side. When lying the abdominal pain seems to get less or is totally absent! 

Some of my symptoms are like those in lpr, but some others are totally different! Like I don´t have any difficulty swallowing during eating food! In contrary I feel a big relief from the irritation and mucus in throat while eating! I don´t feel dry in my throat! I´m wet of all that thick and sticky mucus I don´t get rid of! I was an athlete once in a time! Now I don`t even tolerate a light session of workout if I even try! Night and days after the workout I will experience biggetst hell one can experience! My mucusa will be under a dramatic attac, with even more mucus and distraous breathing difficulties!

I´ve taken 24 hours ph test and gastroscopy, it seemed all pretty normal according to doctors Tried PPI´s with no effeect. Last I tried ppi´s it gave terrible abdominal pain maybe even my other symptoms could become worse! I´ve tried high dosage of prednisolon with no effect!

I´ve lost my job, have hardly a social life and I´m prisoned!

This was a bit about my issues!

Please, I´m so desperate to figure out what this might be, or at least seak a relief from the hell I´m living in! I hope there is someone out there with similar symptoms who has an idea or solution!

Thanks!

2

Well,it certainly sounds like reflux with the resulting irritation causing mucus. I'm assuming that a hiatus hernia has been ruled out? Have you been investigated for gallstones?        Alternatively have you tried keeping a diary of food you have eaten ? It could be one particular food .eg dairy products that is causing your symptoms. Chocolate is often the culprit . Try cutting out one item of food at a time.

Have you tried Ranitidine to help in the short term,although it should only be taken long term on a doctors advice.

3

Hi: Not sure what to tell you. I have mucus too but it's not too bad. And I also have acid reflux. I take all kinds of  pills including pantoprazole for acid reflux and one for allergies. You might need to see an allergist or nose, throat and ear doctor. I also take blood pressure medicine and water pills. I also take potassium and all kinds of vitamins and iron pills!!!! I also sleep with a cpap machine!  And sometimes I wake up with a stuffy nose!!!! Well, I could go on but I don't think you want to hear about my health issues. You need to see a specialist! Oh, you might need a humidifier in your house or bedroom. Or there might be something in your house that's causing this. Have someone check your house for abestos, or perhaps it's your water. Hope this helps.

4

Thanks for your response!Well,  I thought for long time it was lpr which is a kind of reflux affecting the throat and nasal passages! I´ve doen several tests, and none of them confirm that! Altså been ruled out for hernia hiatus! I hope at least since I´ve both done gastroscopy and impedance ph measurment! 

I´ve also tried Ranitidine and different medications.  I´ve also been on strict diets, cutting out dairy, gluten, sugar.. Nothing seems to help!

5

I have been to so many specialists and tried so many things that you would not even belive it! Many of the consultations have been to ENT spcs. They have all some ideas but nothing clear enough, and all their meanings differ from another! They verey much are interested in operatinos and seems like their evaluations is often from a surgical view!

I live in Norway and I can tell you there is a chaos in the health department! If they don´t figure what health issue one is struggling with at the beginning, than the hell is usually all over you, as in my case! When I go to the privat sections, the resources are limited! So I´m totally stuck!

Thanks for your insight!

6

I'm assuming you arent a smoker or heavy drinker,both of which can cause excess mucus.   Have you seen an ENT consultant,in case this is a chronic infection in the back of your nasal/sinus passageways creating excess mucus which is dripping down your throat. Or polyps?         Has anyone suggested a nasal spray.? has there been a swab taken of the mucus to determine whether it contains infection? 

7

No, I don´t drink or smoke! For most of my life lived a healthy which is some kind of ironic! Been to several ENT´s! I have to mention 99% of my struggle in nose is on left side! Taken CT scan, seen inside my nose... One doctor mentioned that problems could be due to a structural problem called empty nose syndrome, but he a kind of changed his mind after a second consultations which left me whith several questions!

What i wonder is if the problems can be caused by an autonomic disease, hormonal problems, nerve problems.... But still the big questions reminding is WHY one side of nose is affected with terrible breathing difficulties, and stinging pain on the same side! Another big question is why physical activity makes the mucus layers to boil, and mucus discharge gets to an unbearable level! If I decide to do some workout, something that is ridiculous in my condition, I usually have 2 days of sleepness nights! And what is this wierd taste and smell!!?

8

Hi sam, what you are describing sounds exactly like my symptoms, and that's from what I know pretty much empty nose syndrome.

Have you had a nasal surgery in the past, or any other kind of destructive nasal event?

I have had a nasal turbinates laser surgery in 2014. It supposed to be small treatment to improve life quality and increase airflow, but I didn't really feel much different afterwards. What happened was, a large nasal polyp grew 3-4 months later. I could barely breathe through my nose, so I went on another surgery and had it completely removed. The polyp was very large and they cut out a lot on the left side of my nose. Ever since that happened to me, I suffer from strong breathing problems, and no doctor could help me.

I spent a lot of time figuring out what the cause are, and how to treat it. At first I thought it's all about the wide open space in my left nose, but at the moment it seems to me, that I could live with it if the sticky mucus of my throat would be gone.

Due to the mucus in the throat, I need more pressure while breathing in / open my lungs. That pressure I normally can't bring up, because of the wide open space in the left side of my nose. So what I did is to put a small piece of cotton in my left nose. That was quite relieving in the first time, but there is still most of time so much sticky mucus in my throat, that I still have problems breathing.

I tried a lot of natural treatments. Ginger, rosmary, coconut oil, olive oil, peppermint... All with no success. However my latest discovery, brought a lot of improvements. Espacially sometimes at night before sleeping. It feels so good and easy to breath, that I often had the thought it was gone.

The secret is ONION! 

My daily routine in the evening looks like:

Taking a whole medium size white onion and put it in a juicer. I directly take 1 drop for each side of the nose as a nasal drop. I put some juice aside as nasal drop for the next morning and midday. The rest I drink in a shot.

Doing this the first time is horrible. The nasal drops are not too bad, but the pure onion juice almost made me puking the first time. But the good thing is, after you drink it, you feel a lot of mucus coming up. I keep spitting it all out.

After 3 days I had the first night where I lying in my bed, and I actually thought my problem was gone. No mucus in the throat. Breathing felt releiving and easy.

Bad news, the mucus comes back during the day. But I feel so much better ever since. I am now in week 3. The bad smell in my nose is gone, the bad taste is gone, 60-70% time of the day I can breath normal and relieving. I still have 24/7 a cotton in my nose since it additonally improves my breathing.

Just wanted to share this you. If you feel the same as I did before. It's definitely worth to give it a try

9

Hi!  I have the same symptoms as you. Im just wandering if you are better now, and if you can share to me how you've managed to beat this health problem... I hope you would answer. Thanks!

10

Have you been checked for diabetes, Types 1 & 2? The abdominal pain is a significant symptom and normally I would think an MD would easily find a diagnosis from this symptom alone. However, as a chronically ill patient with fibromyalgia and spinal arthritis (and symptoms that make me think I have much more going on), I am not surprised that the medical community is failing you. 

Physicians continuously fail me on a regular basis as I seek a fix, instead of a pain cover-up, for my spinal issues, but no one seems to either care or has the background to help me! It sounds all too familiar. If an EENT can't find an issue, it makes me even more disillusioned by the medical community as they continue to churn out inept MD's by the truckload.

I hope that you can find help. I would seek out a major medical facility instead of going to inept doctor after inept doctor. I have few choices as I live in a very rural area in TX (one doctor actually recommended that we move to an area with better medical care - even my mellow husband's mouth hit the floor!). We live where we do DUE to my husband's job in the natural resource mgt field (which involves a LOT of agricultural communities). ALL of it makes me sick, literally!

Best of luck to you (do YOU live in a city, as my doctor recommended, lol?).

DF

11

I had this problem. My husband has had two sinus surgeries and a lot of people seem to have this where I live. They also bathe in tea tree oil. I googled tea tree oil and it is effective against aspergillosis. I googled aspergillosis and it showed an article about 2000 birds dying from this close to where I live from moldy grain. I ended up in the emergency room from dehydration even though I had been pushing water all day. They immediately started me on IV fluids. When I got home I googled IV fluids and it is a balance of saline water and electrolytes. So I drink Gatorade or Smart Water with the magnesium and electrolytes and eat salty snacks. I get much relief. Simple as it is I think it has more to do with changing your ph in your mucus to inhibit the fungus we are exposed to from dust mites in our houses to molds in the air we breathe from duct work. Whenever this comes on no matter how much water I drink I am dehydrated and dying of thirst unless I drink something like a sport drink that has electrolytes in it. Hope this helps somebody.   

12

I have been having the same issues. My once active life had been redused to becoming a prisioner. I have such a hard time breathing that I cant leave my house without my nebulizer. I have missed so much work that I had to move out of my apartment and in with a family member. I am on a medical leave of absence. I have done everything the doctors have asked and the are unsure whats going on. I will probably lose my job if they dont figure out whats happening to me. I feel like my body is slowly shutting down. The mucas is now starting to come out of my eyes and ears. When I wake up everything is crusty. I have to clean my ears three times a day. I cant live like this anymore. There is no quality of life. The mucas is so thick its hard to swollow and Im constantly clearing large chunks of phlegm out of my throat. Its disgusting. Relief is always short lived because the slightest movement and the battle is on...again. Not that it ever really stops. After a week of not being able to sleep, I will sleep for three days unable to wake up other than to use the bathroom and maybe try to eat. Why cant anyone tell me whats going on?

13

Did you figure out the problem?

14

Did you figure out the problem?

15

Is this affected by weather? bad in cold, stormy weathers and better in crisp, nice weathers?

16

I too hv had sinus surgery and if i knew then what i know now is thé side affects of excess mucus problems that are more irritating. Is onions the only way to be free of throat mucus???

17

Hi Robin, Ive been to many doctors. Now im taking allergy pill and one for acid reflex. Will start on a CPAP machine in the 7th of June. I did discover if I use my nebulizer for about a minute it opens my throat to clean out the thick mucas. That has been a huge relief for me because before it would be stuck in my throat and I wouldnt be able to breath. Also hot fluid, im talking very hot fluid also allows me to get the crap out ofmy throat. The allergy pill are ok but dont work 100% because most the the time my left nostril will dip non stop. The right side almost never drips...its crazy. I did notice a fee days ago that gatorade is helping thinning the thickness. I have appointments with gastronomy because around a month ago I began having difficulty swollowing certain foods. Two of my doc think it could be VCD , vocal cord damage. Its not been confirmed yet and appt isnt until july. If thats what it is the dr says it fixable. Google VCD...the symptom are close. Idk...well see.

18

I have the same problem as the original poster here.  The phlegm is sticky, cannot be cleared.  It sticks at night and causes my throat to close and give me sleep apnea.  I seem to be able to minimize it by having a very careful and boring diet but it never goes away and I have to sleep at an incline with many pillows every night.  I have went to all the ENTs and specialists as well and no allergy medicine or cortison spray will help.  Doctors say to lose weight and exercise more, but I can do neither without sleep.  I am currently not eating anything after 2 in the afternoon as the less I eat used to minimize the phlegm, but while it worked for a couple of months, it no longer stops the sticky phlegm from forming.  There has to be a reason this occurs and there has to be a cure.  I will not make it to old age like this, my body cannot sustain this lack of sleep, excess stress, and all the anger and frustration that comes with sticky phlegm induced sleep apnea.  I see that this is an old post and I can only hope that someone has or will find a cure.

​My next attempt to fix this is to take some antiparasite medication like Paragone in hopes that maybe I have worms?  I live in USA and its unlikely, but maybe I do and they are releasing some sort of waste byproducts that my immune system is wrapping in sticky phlegm.  problem is that I cannot take this medicine if not rested or else I can get very very sick, like call an ambulance sick.  I need to be in tip top shape to be able to handle the side effects of this antiparastic.  If this works, I will share with the group, but as you may have surmised, I too have tried every other logical approach and I am desparate.

​I have been dealing with this sticky phlegm for over 10 years now which got incredibly worse after a 3 week sickness in November of 2013.  I have had sleep apnea and a swollen neck since that time and the phlegm as gotten stickier.  I cannot think straight anymore and am beginning to fear that I will lose my job because I am too tired to do it well.

19

I have the same issues and i am so lost on what to do

20

I’m still dealing with it. went to an ENT and he told me to gargle with Tonic water. ..it didn’t help. I’m starting to think I know what it is and as crazy as it sounds, I believe it’s as simple as DUST. My issues started shortly after I began doing janitorial work. after an allergy test I was told I was allergy to dust. I started paying attention to when is it at its worst. I get off work at 3:30 am. once In in my car and headed home…it starts. The thickness starts clogging my throat and it is difficult to get it out. I spend what feels like hours fight it until I’m physically tired. I lay down and it starts draining in my throat again and during sleep it gets in my chest. I was recently told (after a sleep study I that I have sleep apnea. Nothing the Drs have prescribed or suggested have worked. No allergy pills, nasel sprays, or lots of fluids touch it. I’ve started having heartburn recently also. I’m just sick of it. I really believe the answer is so simple the doctors can see it. Im working on trying to reduce as much DUST from my home as possible in hopes it helps or eliminated the problem.