Every day I cough up what looks like a scab with ugly mucous and blood

Posted by needtoknow @needtoknow, Feb 10, 2016

Every day I cough up what looks like a scab with ugly mucous and tiny amounts of blood. It seems to come from the back of my throat or nose. My doctor has seen the scab but does not see anything wrong. This, to me, seems really odd. Has anyone had this problem?

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@evar1989

So, I was suffering from thick post nasal drip that sticks in my upper throat ánd these scabs for 15 months now. Visited 3 ENT's because it was driving my crazy. 3rd ENT advised me to do nasal rinsing with xylitol/baking soda/salt mixture for a month, since xylitol is known to break down biofilm. After the second day of rinsing a huge thick mucus glob (yellow/green with blood) was dislodged from deep inside my nose/sinuses. It felt so good afterwards and since then my nose is actually running like crazy and I blow out tons of green snot. No thick, sticky post nasal drip all of a sudden, but everything is coming out at the front like it should. It's crazy to be so happy with having a cold, or at least it feels like that. The rinse made everything move, that's for sure. I'm 2,5 weeks in now and still everyday thick mucus globs come out after the rinse, some of them are shaped just like the scabs. I need to hack it up via my nose into my throat. In case you haven't tried the xylitol rinse, give it a try! Starting to think that these globs of mucus were stuck somewhere and prevented/blocked normal mucus draining. It's too early to get my hopes up that this is the end of the PND horror and the scab, but who knows. Seems like there was an infection high up there all along. See picture for the sachets that I use.

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Same here! Weird disc shaped w/thick mucus every few days that comes and goes. I’m going to try this rinse.
Thank you!!!

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@elal

Hey! Did any of you find a "treatment" for these scabs? I have them too, seems no ENT can figure out why...

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Mine looks very similar to this. Have been having this for up to a few weeks now (* see caveat below) in addition to a "sour" sensation at back of throat, in the morning before I clear it. Also noticed blood in snot when I blow my nose in the morning, mostly from the right nostril, but I didn't need to blow my nose this morning as it felt clear after I started using Xlear saline nasal spray yesterday. No cough or other symptoms so I'm assuming it's not lung-related. The theory of post-nasal drip coupled with seasonal dryness makes sense.

* Caveat: The snot in mouth and blood from nostril occurred MOSTLY when I was in NYC, including in my apartment where the humidity is 25%. I was in the UK and Europe for 2 weeks where at least the nasal blood issue largely disappeared, though the throat mucus thing may have still been there but less noticeable. Perhaps although it was cold there, there was maybe more humidity. The theory of postnasal drip and dry air makes sense. Although I've been living in the same place for years and it seems it only started happening this year.

I'm going to keep up the nasal spray at least twice a day and hopefully it eases up. I have reservations using a humidifier because they require a lot of upkeep (refill and cleaning) and I've heard of cases of people getting upper respiratory infections due to mold growth in the humidifier. Which I presume would likely be worse than whatever this is.

Some pics of mine can be found at imgurl at /a/FFQqjqM. The first 4 images are from blowing my nose, and the last 2 are from my throat (last one shows blood).

Other notes: Relatively recent scope, imaging and tests did not show any GI issues (including LPR, acid reflux or GERD, which I asked doc about to make sure they checked for those). Blood tests normal except persistently elevated bilirubin due to Gilbert's Syndrome. Full-body MRI early last year had findings for the sinuses and mastoids (although I recall also having temporary heavy nasal congestion at the time so not sure if I'd get the same results now): "(1) We detected multiple lesions which are consistent with mucous retention cysts. The cysts are located in the right maxillary sinus. Most commonly these are of no concern, unless they become large at which point they cause discomfort. This is a benign finding. If you are asymptomatic, then this finding can be reassessed on your next Prenuvo scan. (2) There is mucosal thickening of the ethmoid air cells and right maxillary sinus. No follow up is needed unless you have symptoms related to this finding." Also relevant: "The remaining paranasal sinuses are clear. The mastoids are clear." "Nasal pharynx: No adverse findings. No worrisome mass is identified."

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Update: continued using nasal spray. Still got the leakage to throat later this morning, with blood. Both yesterday/today the PND (post-nasal drip) occurred not long after nasal spray. I've read that tilting head back and/or pointing toward septum can cause this, so to avoid post-spray PND, tilt head forward and point away from septum.

The blood in yesterday's looked red/fresh whereas today's (also a small amount) looked dark/dry, so maybe the nasal injury is healing. I don't feel a cut so I guess it's due to burst capillaries or something similar, perhaps deeper in the nasal passageways.

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Massive improvement in this morning's phlegm. Small amount, just yellow and no blood.

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