Excessive mucus without cough

Hi, Could you please tell me the technical term for The Vest? I wasn't
able to find any information on The Vest. Thanks,

Hi, @pritty02, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It's wise to look into symptoms that you are experiencing and also interfering with your quality of life after inhaling the 90% ethanol when using it to disinfect.

I moved your post here to this existing discussion, "Excessive mucus without cough," so that you can connect with others in this thread who are talking about similar issues. Please click VIEW & REPLY in your email notification to look at the entire discussion and what others have shared.

Good to see you've connected with @lioness, and I'd also like to invite into this discussion @trixie1313 @sueinmn @jenniferhunter @imallears, who may have some input related to your sore throat without cough as well as the white mucus you have coming out continually after inhaling the ethanol fumes.

Personally, I used a rubbing alcohol solution at 90 percent to clean my microfiber family room furniture — cut with some water in a spray bottle — a number of years ago, and I quickly noted that the fumes were very pungent. I moved my kids and myself far away from it and opened some windows. I believe I had some headache for a bit, and it generally didn't feel great to be exposed to that high of a percentage of alcohol. My husband suggested that if/when I did cleaned the furniture that way again, I should use a lower percentage of alcohol or dilute it much further.

One resource you might take advantage of is Poison Control, where you can chat online or speak to a representative https://triage.webpoisoncontrol.org/#/exclusions.

Will you share more about where you are seeing this mucus coming out? Have you had the chance to speak to your doctor about these symptoms? If so, what did he or she say about it?

@pritty02 I did some looking, and you are probably not in any danger from this inhalation, but you certainly did irritate your throat and probably lungs. The problem is that alcohol moves from liquid to vapor very quickly, and then is easily inhaled. It is also a powerful irritant of mucous membranes - that is why you are seeing all the clear mucous. I don't think gargling salt water or lemon juice, unless very mild, will help in your case because these too can irritate mucous membranes - you will have to decide if they make it feel better or worse. You need to let things settle down, if not better in a few days, or you begin to experience shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, seek medical care.
Everyone needs to be cautious in this day of disinfecting everything! Bleach, alcohol and benzylkonium chloride are strong chemicals. Alcohol & bleach are also highly volatile, moving from the liquid to aerosol state very quickly, and are very strong irritants. Use them cautiously, as you would any chemical, and be around them for the shortest time possible. When using, ventilate the area, remove children, anyone with breathing issues and pets before using, and leave the area yourself immediately - stay away until the fumes have cleared. If you have a respirator (N95 or one intended for use around fumes) wear it, but still take precautions. Keep the chemicals COMPLETELY out of reach of children, pets and any vulnerable adult who my not understand how to take precautions.
Stay safe everyone!
Sue

Your Dr would best know if you should use an expectorant, and it is good of you to be cautious and careful. This is very wise. There is a nice tea I really like for my lungs called "Breathe Deep" by Yogi Tea. I mention it because it is gentle, made for lung health, and supports healing. It is so wonderful and tastes so good, people without lung damage ask me for some when they visit, or when I carry some with me in a thermos say it smells so good what is it!!! Also, the warmth and the vapors from the essential oils in the herbs are very good for the respiratory system and nasal passages. I sometimes see it at Target, but always Whole Foods and some other big grocery stores. The ingredients are listed on the side and are pretty gentle - none should be an issue unless someone drank like 20 cups in one day! : )
Always good to check all the ingredients anyway. Greens tea has natural antibiotic properties and also natural caffeine, which opens up the airways a little bit. It also has antioxidants that help heal the lungs and keep you well in general. This is a small thing a person can do that is not expensive, but can make a difference in comfort and healing! We need strong lungs to live a good life! : )

Thank you so much for this post - i have congestive heart failure but nothing seems to help my lungs - will try what you suggest. I love dairy products, especially drink a lot of milk, so will cut those out of my daily intake.

Thank you so much for this post - i have congestive heart failure but nothing seems to help my lungs - will try what you suggest. I love dairy products, especially drink a lot of milk, so will cut those out of my daily intake.

Good morning, and welcome to Mayo Connect. We are a group of people living with a variety of conditions, and trying to help each other by sharing our experiences. We are not medical professionals, so we cannot offer medical advice.

It sounds like you are dealing with a couple of different things here, some sound very like allergies, and can probably be treated with an antihistamine. With chronic allergies like runny nose and itch, many doctors feel it is beneficial to take a mild antihistamine daily to control symptoms.

There are many medications for treating Hypertension, it is important to find one that works for you without bad side effects. Using exercise (and diet) in place of pills works for some people, but needs to be done with medical supervision. Uncontrolled hypertension can cause many serious problems as you get older.

Perhaps it is time to see your doctor about both of these and try to get some long-term relief.

Sue