@deb2727 Your situation is puzzling. It caught my eye as I feel as though I produce a lot of phlegm with airway clearance but when I measure it in a metered cup, it's less than 10ml (10ml is almost 3 teaspoons).

How much are you coughing up? Have you measured it? What does it look like? On this board and others, mucus, phlegm and sputum are readily interchanged even though they are different. Do you know which one you are coughing up? Have you been tested for reflux/GERD? What medications do you take? Mucinex? NAC? etc.

Mucus is a clear slippery substance produced by respiratory tract. Everyone healthy or not have it. It's our lungs first line of defense, it moistens and protects. It's in the nasal passages, trachea, bronchi, and lungs.

Phlegm is mucus that is specifically produced in the lower respiratory tract, often during illness or inflammation or during chronic disease like bronchiectasis. It's thicker and harder to expel. It can be any color, if yellow means there are immune cells present. Green can indicate an infection.

Sputum is mucus from the lungs that is coughed up, often containing additional elements like cells or pathogens. It's what we send to the lab for testing.