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Mucus in throat, PPIs didn’t work, need advice.
Hello
First time posting.
Been having really bad throat mucus,
and can’t get a resolution.
Apologies for the slightly long post, I want to make sure I put everything in.
My DR was still phone only so I couldn’t get any in person diagnosis.
Finally got a referral for an ENT appt,
he did a scope, said he saw “frothy mucus”, with no deviated septum, and put me on Pantaprozole and said to follow up in 2 months. At 2 months, no improvement, so I called back for a follow-up and the ENT office was closed and they never responded to my voice mails or messages. (!)
Turns out he just sent an email to my Dr suggesting an appt with a GERD specialist. My DR of almost 20 years had just left her practice and the new DR was going in, and was swamped due to taking over so it was months behind until l I was able to get an appt (phone only, still wasn’t doing in person).
Turns out the email was lost in the shuffle.
I also managed to get an allergist appt and everything came up clean, and he suggested non-allergenic rhinitis or GERD related.
So all that said and done, my GERD appt is not until January. Everyday I have what feels like a huge clog in my throat and it’s impacting my daily life. I bought a wedge pillow, gave up coffee, alcohol, gluten as well as dairy for 3 months and still no relief.
I hydrate all the time and drink chamomile tea just after dinner. It seems to get aggravated by anxiety (or other way around).
I’ve also tried a Neti pot, nasal rinses, and Flonase. The “head over boiling water with a towel over my head” seems to bring temporary relief though. I don’t have runny nose, watery eyes, coughing or sneezing, or chest congestion. I do have nasal congestion that seems to switch sides though. But the throat mucus is brutal, so I’m hoping I can get some advice on how to take it down a bit until at least my GERD appt in January. Cheers !
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Not sure if this helps anyone but if you are having an allergic reaction to something at that moment, a doctor can do a blood test in the office to see what you are reacting to at that moment. My husband had so much mucous it was keeping him awake. Doctor did blood test and saw immediately he was reacting to gluten and egg whites. She recommended he see an allergist for further testing, which he did, but as soon as he stopped eating breads, cookies, other baked items, the mucous and gas in his stomach, got remarkably better.
My doctor changed my PPI to Famotidine which significantly reduced mucous production and throat clearing. I take it twice daily prior to my main meals.
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2 ReactionsHello I am so sorry you have this awful flem. I got it after I got covid. Never had it before. I realize this is since 2022 you wrote this. It is now 2026 I am wondering if you got relief or cured this. I can't stand it anymore had this now for a year. Very thin clear sometimes bubbles mucus. Coming from my throat very little from nose but I take Gerd meds for many years now omepresole pill once a day. Nothing stops this I choke on food annd it feels like I can't swallow it or throw it up I have to really try hard to spit it up but I get very little in a tissue and causes me to have too much saliva. Can't sleep unless 3 pillows are in back of my head. it scares me as my throat is very small. It has ruined my life from eating and drinking anything it seems to be always there worse at different times. I can't use nasal sprays or certain pills I have bad allergies. So I use nothing and I am going to see this ENT Doctor soon. I stay away from cheese or anything that can cause more flem. Hope you are better I am a non smoker non drinker and I can't even have ice cream anymore, I have to watch everything I hardly eat I am a tiny person too. Eating makes lots of more flem. Let me know if you found something to control it. God bless. Hopeful I am in the US. Boston Mass.
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2 ReactionsHi. Suffered with all of this for 50 years. Please check out https://jamiekoufman.com
Her way of treating this has helped me more than any doctor I have seen. And I have seen quite a few over the years. I hope it helps you as much as it helped me. For some, like myself, it is a lifelong ailment that can't be "cured ", but it can be treated and managed quite well. Good luck to you.
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1 ReactionJust stumbled upon this, after suffering from phlegm and mucus since being placed on a PPI in early February of this year. I think my primary care physician believed I had GERD - when I had an appointment with her regarding my inability to breathe, inflamed sinuses, sore throat, and yellow phlegm. She didn’t do any testing for any respiratory illnesses. That day, I took my son to his pediatrician for a cough he developed and I didn’t like the sound of. Turns out, he had RSV. And with my low white blood count cells and chronic neutropenia - as well as symptoms - it is safe to say I did, too. With a ten-day dose of antibiotics, I was able to fight off RSV. I ended up taking the PPI (40 mg twice a day), as well. However, a couple of days after finishing the antibiotics and continuing with the PPI (40 mg once a day - changed by my PCP. However, after I finished with the antibiotics
, I started producing different phlegm - thick and clear from my throat only. Then, I began not being able to eat even bland food - it felt like it was triggering mucus production and my throat felt like it had something stuck. I’ve been taking Claritin every day, Flonase, post-nasal drip, and the PPI to no avail. I can’t sleep without being in a 70° angle. And even then, I get only a few hours of sleep a day. I am following the antihistamine diet and crossing it over the the GERD diet. Trying not to take any foods that might triggering for either issue. I have an appointment with a GI on Tuesday. I’ll have an appointment with an ENT in the next couple of weeks, too. Hoping I can start moving forward and figuring out what is going on with my system. I feel like either the PPIs really screwed me over or I did have silent reflux.
Chronic coughing and lots of phlegm with some wheezing. Have taken PPIs done all the testings and no relief. GERD without heartburn or Silent GERD LPR. I live in Colorado, does anyone know of an ENT or GI specialist who has experience with this condition?
This sounds like what I have been dealing with for a year. See link below.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/chronic-phlegm-collecting-in-my-throat-i-constantly-have-to-swallow/
For 2 months I also have thick mucus in my throat, esp bad in the morning. I spit it out, mucus is clear or white. I do not have a cold, cough or nasal congestion. I use a netti pot and nasal spray in case allergies are the cause. Doesn’t really help, but after drinking lots of water, mucus thins and I can swallow although always lump in my throat. From my symptoms it sounds like a post nasal drip. Never had this problem before. Was wondering if the omeprazole I am taking every day could be the cause. I do have GERD which is why I take omeprazole. I really don’t understand why this started 2 months ago but that is when I started on omeprazole every day. Have appt with ENT soon.
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1 ReactionPlease let us know what the ENT says. I'm still just about the same.
I have found out that I have high allergies to dust mites and it causes runny nose and post nasal drip. I saw a very good ENT in my area, (after seeing a not-good ENT) and he prescribed the nasal spray Astralazine in the morning and Mometasone before bed. And when spring and fall arrive, I add Claritin. The two nasal sprays have been an absolute life-saver stopping the drip in throat and out the nose. Initially after he prescribed the two nasal sprays, I used a neti pot but no longer need to. I also run an air purifier at night and diligently dust and change my sheets weekly.