Phlegm in my throat and post nasal drip after Covid

suefish not S And F

Agreed with issues

I referred to this post 4 months ago and now that I feel I'm close to recovery I want to at least share my experience. In July 2024 I got covid (never tested but had the same symptoms of those around me who tested and had it - fever, bad mucus, fatigue...etc) and thought it would heal eventually, at least within a couple weeks. Fast forward 1 year later and 10+ visits to the doctor and I still had mucus constantly in my throat that if I didn't spit out would give me an upset stomach. It was disrupting my sleep, work, and social life. The mucus itself was generally white but would sometimes be yellow and none of my ENTs had solutions that worked for me. I tested and received treatment for:
-Sinusitis (CT Scan showed this was not the case)
-Allergies (4 months of antihistamines, 6 weeks of nasal rinse, 2 international trips and experiencing every season did not relieve it)
-Food allergies (6 weeks of cutting gluten, dairy, egg, many nuts, and more had no result)
-Imagined sensation (took Chinese herbal meds to help me forget I was sick - didn't help)
-Chronic Bronchitis (Got X-rays and meds for it but it seemed to just come back randomly)
After so long and having other health issues arise due to stress, I eventually quit my job in September 2025 and moved back in with my parents, a perk of being a young adult. With the aid of ChatGPT I narrowed down my likely troubles to LPR and long-covid, and LPR being more likely I gave a treatment for it a shot. Because I was annoyed of having doctors treat me like a formula (X symptom = Y disease so take Z medication) I consulted AI and it told me what no doctor had before - stop clearing your throat, cough as little as possible, and don't scrape out throat mucus with your uvula or tongue. Apparently with LPR your throat is hurt by an acid reflux so the body produces mucus to help it heal or something. If I remember right, the acid is what makes the mucus yellow. Anyway, coughing and clearing your throat only hurts your throat more so the body makes more mucus and a downward spiral begins. In the end, I had to drink lots of warm water to bring up mucus safely or just swallow it for two weeks before any big improvement. However, quickly after I started my treatment I stopped coughing for 30 minutes in bed every night, stopped carrying boxes of tissues around, and finally felt like I began healing. 2 months later and I'm not fully healed, but I do feel a lot better and have a lot of hope that this LPR I have will go away completely. I'm not saying that generative AI has any medical authority, only that I found it useful in figuring out my problems. The frustration is real and I feel for all you who are going through this or something similar for much longer than the 18 months I've dealt with it so far. Hope this helps.

@frindlydog thanks for the update. I think many of us have considered LPR, but it can be very difficult to actually diagnose, and to treat - and you’re right, current conventional medicine doesn’t even take its possibility into consideration.

I am glad that whatever protocol you are using seems to help. Please keep us updated!

If you want to read more on LPR (remember, everything with a grain of salt), try reading some of this guy’s takes on LPR: refluxgate.com (Gerrit Sonnabend)

@oly78 hi !
At first I had Pneumonia. Got antibiotic for that. Then mucus
In my throat, juicy cough. NP,
Gave me some FANTASTIC MUCUS PILLS PLUS SHESAID TAKE ZYTEC . MUCUS went after a month.i suddlybrealized, NOW,
That that was part of Long Covid, or is . Now that I had been diagnosed with LC, it finally dawned on me that every week,something else is added to my symptoms. My NP never heard of LC. Went to doc. Said I had symptoms of it. But doesn’t know
Treatment. Now , thanks to Googling “ Cleveland Clinic long Covid”. At least I don’t feel like a
Hypochondriac. I now have nerve shooting down my arms, I can’t do anything but a task, the have to ret. My arms are painful. My gait is like have Parkinson’s. I have to use a
Walker to steady myself,. My arms can’t lift anything, and I have to put plates, bowl, cutlery on counter, cuzi can’t reach even lower cabinets.

Hey everyone,
I’ve been following this thread for well over a year - dealing with similar post-COVID phlegm and post-nasal drip issues, so I asked Grok AI to analyze this entire thread (all 105 pages) and come up with a fresh hypothesis and treatment ideas based on the patterns in our stories.
Its response - Vagus, trigeminal, glossopharyngeal polyneuropathy. Hypothesis in simple terms: COVID might damage key nerves in your head (vagus for throat/gut signals, trigeminal for face/sinus sensation, and glossopharyngeal for swallowing/throat feel). This creates overactive reflexes that mess up mucus balance in your throat and nose, leading to that constant “stuck” feeling—especially after eating or drinking. Makes sense why it takes so long to recover. Nerves are notoriously difficult to heal. Also somwehat explains increased migranes behind the eyes, anxiety, brain fog, and low energy.

Potential treatments (key ones from Grok’s protocol—always check with a doctor first):
• 60-hour water fast to kickstart healing.
• Switch to an anti-inflammatory keto diet (low carbs, high healthy fats) afterward.
• Supplements: 600mg R-alpha lipoic acid twice daily (For Nerve health), 600mg NAC twice daily, 500mg Vitamin C twice daily.
• Daily nerve stimulation: 30min vagus TENS on ear (25Hz, 250μs), 40-60min trigeminal TENS on forehead.
• Cold plunges in 50°F water for 10min, 3x/week.
• Wim Hof breathing: 40 breaths, 4 rounds every morning.

Bunch of other treatment ideas it had also...but you can ask any AI what potential treatments there would be for this polyneuropathy to tailor to your own needs.

Here is a link for you to read my initial query:
https://grok.com/share/c2hhcmQtMg_f606e6ee-d03e-41a2-ba1e-a6a582d55f10
Grok thinks this could help repair nerves and reduce mucus over 6-18 months, but it’s theoretical—curious if anyone’s tried similar? Let’s discuss!

Jan 14, 2026 - Grok is good, isn't it. Fills in things the doctor wants to know, too. My doctor loved it when I told him that Grok read the PFT test series without labor or boredom, when the pulmonologist he sent me to didn't really want to do the comparison. My internist had it right, intuitively, marking the symptoms up to COVID recovery. Grok agreed with him, and the pulmonologist hadn't put it together in a helpful way either, not on an analytical level (comparing the data over time and between COVID bouts), nor intuitively. I don't know about you folks, but I've not had much feedback from pulmonologists about anything outside their wheelhouse, and COVID seems to be. One had never seen whooping cough. They are legitimately occupied with serious lung disease which kills people pretty fast.

I’ve been searching for answers myself because for the past 2 years (after having COVID) I’ve had constant post nasal drip which causes me to clear my throat or try and cough to loosen the mucous. I’ve also had 3 sinus infections since that continue getting dismissed as complications from allergies. I was Rx Budesonide to use with nasal rinse but it does nothing. The post nasal drip build up even causes my voice to change until I cough to clear it. On occasion, I’ve felt mild relief when enough of the mucous “dislodges” and I blow it out. This is gross and TMI but I’ve poked it and felt it and it feels thick like bodily tissue. Almost like a wet scab I suppose. I felt like I was going crazy because every time I bring it up,
I just get brushed off as it’s normal allergies. I can see I’m not alone in this and wish everyone the best and hoping this gets better eventually.

@jflores17

You might have to ask for a CT scan of your sinuses. I ran into this constant phlegm and sinus infections before COVID and I had to push back hard against it being "just allergies." It is miserable.

Found out I had a deviated septum, scar tissue in my ethmoid sinuses (from the repeated infections), and gigantic turbinates. I had a 30% airway in my right nostril. Sinus surgery ended it.

I did have one sinus infection after the first bout of COVID, which turned into internal shingles, causing sensorineural hearing loss and Ramsay Hunt on the left side.

Even more fun from COVID followed.

@drbf thank you! I forgot
To mention I pushed for CT and have had 2 within the past year each after a sinus infection. I have a deviated septum on the right & possible mucosal retention cyst which they don’t want to do surgery for to remove despite it causing so much frustration. In addition to both sinus infections this past year, I also ended up with bad ear infections and was referred to audiology. Pressure check confirmed increased pressure (duh) and I have follow up today to see if I need a tube to drain whatever is left. My hearing returned but not 100% so we’ll see.
I just wish we the patients would be heard more. I don’t want unnecessary tests but I do want to find a solution

My wife has these symptoms. She has a doctor appointment next week to look into this condition.