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Phlegm in my throat and post nasal drip after Covid

Posted by danny2022 @danny2022, Dec 18, 2022

Ever since I had covid in January of 2022 I recovered from the virus but I was left with a constant phlegm in the back of my throat and post nasal drip that will not go away. The feeling of having mucus in the back of my throat actually gets worse when I try to get rid of it by coughing. I have been given steroid inhalers, albuterol, allergy medication, but none of these work. The mucus gets worse especially after I eat. I've never felt like this before and it all started after covid. Can anybody relate to what I am going through?

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celia16 | @celia16 | Oct 9 7:48pm
In reply to @lmr29 "There are glands in the neck that produce mucous which I think never went back into..." + (show)
@lmr29

There are glands in the neck that produce mucous which I think never went back into normal mode after the virus. I bet the pros don't actually have a remedy at this time.

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I have an intermittent mild pain on one side of my neck. A carotid ultrasound showed no plaque. So….maybe a muscle? There’s no swelling.

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lmr29 | @lmr29 | Oct 10 3:17pm

Been down the same route. Coughing up crap for 1 1/2 yrs. Now that it was only occurring after meals & had increase in burping , restarted the Prilosec my primary had me try earlier in the year. It didn't work then. Read about LPR, from Mayo, it's 'silent reflux' that produces the phelgm & effects the voice. This time it seems to be helping.
(FYI Larygno-pharynx reflux)

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2 replies
celia16 | @celia16 | Oct 10 6:35pm
In reply to @lmr29 "Been down the same route. Coughing up crap for 1 1/2 yrs. Now that it was..." + (show)
@lmr29

Been down the same route. Coughing up crap for 1 1/2 yrs. Now that it was only occurring after meals & had increase in burping , restarted the Prilosec my primary had me try earlier in the year. It didn't work then. Read about LPR, from Mayo, it's 'silent reflux' that produces the phelgm & effects the voice. This time it seems to be helping.
(FYI Larygno-pharynx reflux)

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I thought of that possibility, but Pepsid had no effect on mine. I’ve tried it twice. Maybe I should try Prilosec.

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fiona57 | @fiona57 | Oct 10 6:38pm
In reply to @jjentges "I have the same issue, but it seems that it gets better and then it comes..." + (show)
@jjentges

I have the same issue, but it seems that it gets better and then it comes on again, and I can’t figure out what brings it on. But also when I get the phlegm other symptoms pop up like tingling in my arms and legs, and heavy chest that causes my breathing to be more of an effort, and exhaustion. Has anyone else experienced this?

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Yes me too. No idea what food links to symptoms.Regarding legs also fine tingling with associated purple feet and lower legs which are very cold. Pulses in feet still just felt weakly. Energy not restored, one good day followed by 2 exhausted ones.

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1 reply
jjentges | @jjentges | Oct 10 7:00pm
In reply to @fiona57 "Yes me too. No idea what food links to symptoms.Regarding legs also fine tingling with associated..." + (show)
@fiona57

Yes me too. No idea what food links to symptoms.Regarding legs also fine tingling with associated purple feet and lower legs which are very cold. Pulses in feet still just felt weakly. Energy not restored, one good day followed by 2 exhausted ones.

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Thank you for your reply. If only we would know if it is some that we eat or do that brings it on would be half the battle. How long have you been for you? I am wondering if it was from having COVID or from then booster. When I received the booster my legs were like on fire and very weak. I really didn’t feel the same since. Then when I went on a cruise last year I got a horrible cough and then all the fatigue etc has continued How long have you had your symptoms?

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turandot | @turandot | Oct 28 6:59pm

Mild COVID symptoms May 2022. Left mucus collecting in nasopharynx.. Given Rx sprays. 5 ENT docs. Had turbinate reduction and Rhinaer from last doctor. Nothing has helped. Can’t sleep longer than two hours before having to use saline spray to get rid of mucus causing cough. Any advise would be appreciated.

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2 replies
turandot | @turandot | Oct 30 1:13pm

The same with me. 5 ENTs and nothing helps. Hopefully someone seeing our posts will have the answer.

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shashig | @shashig | Oct 30 1:59pm
In reply to @bailey82 "For almost 7 weeks now I have had phlegm in my throat that drains into my..." + (show)
@bailey82

For almost 7 weeks now I have had phlegm in my throat that drains into my chest. I don't have a cough but I can breath hard and catch a little of the phlegm and then cough it up. You can hear it rattle in my chest when I breath sometimes too. My lungs are good and I can breath fine but voice is horse and I have had post nasal drip. I went to Urgent care and they gave me steroids and antibiotics but nothing has worked. Could this too be from long term covid. This has been driving me crazy.

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I've got it, too...My pre-Covid sinusitis got much worse after the virus: constant PND (clear mucus) down the back of my throat, sometimes down into my chest. I can breathe, but my lungs feel irritated, sometimes like there's an elephant sitting on my chest. I've been doing NeilMed 2x/day -- first with saline + budesonide + mupiricin, now doc switched me to saline + gentamicin + desoximetasone + drop of baby shampoo. Finished 5-day course of prednisone. Nada. On 6th day of amoxicillin and no change. Sometimes I have full body aches, leading my doc to wonder if the syndrome might be viral. I take Gaviscon Advance at night (have to order from UK via Amazon) in case there's a GERD factor. Staying hydrated, but...OMG, it's so much worse in the morning what with the congestion and gag coughing. I just feel exhausted and sick. Weirdly, sometimes by nighttime, say midnight, I feel pretty good. Don't know what to do next but may try acupuncture and then, at home, EFT (tapping). Couldn't hurt. : ))

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friedrich | @friedrich | Oct 31 9:30am
In reply to @mikedod "Long - ish post coming... Synopsis: Covid slime for 2 years. It is miserable and really..." + (show)
@mikedod

Long - ish post coming...

Synopsis:
Covid slime for 2 years. It is miserable and really life altering. It blows. Pun intended.

Something I just tried today that seems to really clear off the slime off my throat as a quick fix -

Neti pot - Mix 7 grams of sodium ascorbate into 1 cup of warm distilled water ( ~240g DISTILLED water) This makes around a 3% solution. Add in neti salt like normal per salt directions. Neti this. I didn't notice any extra discomfort - maybe a tiny bit. Cleared off all the snot pretty well. I will post an update in a few days to let you know how long the effect lasts. Apparently this creates local levels of vitamin C that would require an astronomical oral dose to achieve.

Reasoning - Sodium ascorbate is just a buffered salt of Vitamin C (pH more neutral) This makes it not burn like Vitamin C would. Vitamin C activates CFTR channels (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) which increases the amount of liquid that cells put out to form the pericilliary liquid layer - the fluid that snot rides on as your ciliated cells try to move it out. My guess is that after infection CFTR is chronically somewhat downregulated, and/or the airway epithelium has reformed after infection to have too many mucous producing goblet cells and not enough ciliated cells (goblet cell hyperplasia).

Side note on this stuff - I used to have it worse in my lungs - now it is more in my upper chest/throat. Not really in my nose - but the neti still helps because it makes my epiglottis stay more "liquidy" and helps me swallow the covid slime or spit it up easier.

Also for those who have it rougher and want to try - I also had some success nebulizing sodium ascorbate - 1 gram in 10 grams (or 10 mL) of distilled water or isotonic (0.9%) nebulizer saline solution. This makes a 10% sodium ascorbate solution. Nebulize for 20-30 minutes or as long as it takes to feel the snot get "swallowable." Again this is Vitamin C straight to the airway epithelium including lungs. It isn't harsh to me and seems to clear things up well.

That's my 2 cents on this stuff and here is the link to amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/NutriBiotic-Ascorbate-Non-Acidic-Antioxidant-Supplement/dp/B000Z8YM7O/
Still in search of the ultimate cure - but anything to make life more normal helps - especially if it is pretty quick and easy to do.

-Mike

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Thank you for your detailed descriptions and explanations. I find it helpful to know the why’s and how’s for medical issues (and most other things in life).

Furthermore, one could share your the information you provided with their healthcare providers. I do that. Most of them appreciate my taking an active role in the problem-solving process, and it motivates them to take a greater interest in me as a patient.

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jjentges | @jjentges | Oct 31 9:30am
In reply to @turandot "Mild COVID symptoms May 2022. Left mucus collecting in nasopharynx.. Given Rx sprays. 5 ENT docs...." + (show)
@turandot

Mild COVID symptoms May 2022. Left mucus collecting in nasopharynx.. Given Rx sprays. 5 ENT docs. Had turbinate reduction and Rhinaer from last doctor. Nothing has helped. Can’t sleep longer than two hours before having to use saline spray to get rid of mucus causing cough. Any advise would be appreciated.

Jump to this post

I took 3 Musinex Morning Afternoon and evening . It really helped me. It has gotten better so now take one daily. I hope this info helps

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