1. < Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19

Phlegm in my throat and post nasal drip after Covid

Posted by danny2022 @danny2022, Dec 18, 2022

Ever since I had covid in January of 2022 I recovered from the virus but I was left with a constant phlegm in the back of my throat and post nasal drip that will not go away. The feeling of having mucus in the back of my throat actually gets worse when I try to get rid of it by coughing. I have been given steroid inhalers, albuterol, allergy medication, but none of these work. The mucus gets worse especially after I eat. I've never felt like this before and it all started after covid. Can anybody relate to what I am going through?

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beebee000 | @beebee000 | Jan 16, 2023

the thing with me is ...it doesn't mater what i eat or drink ever and as soon as anything goes in my mouth, the thick phlegm starts almost immediately because the mucus is always...i mean always in my throat, it never leaves! i never had any of this before covid, i could eat anything and nothing ever bothered me...right now the only thing i can do is to try and keep it calmed down so i'm not choking..this is all day, everyday, everynight, 24-7.....take care...hoping we all get over this so we can have control of our bodies again...

REPLY
2 replies
jlkdaggett | @jlkdaggett | Jan 17, 2023
In reply to @mimioto "I understand you misery. I’ve had the same thing since late August 2022, a month after..." + (show)
@mimioto

I understand you misery. I’ve had the same thing since late August 2022, a month after covid. It dries out the nasal passages and sinuses and the mucous is nearly gagging in my throat. I get it. I too am on Symbicort, which is a combo of budesonide and formoterol. The pulmonologist, whom I saw in December, believes the mucous is developing as a result of acid reflux. But do I have heartburn? No. Why? Because it appears to be a problem with sphincters, both the lower (LE), and upper (UE) esophageal sphincters not functioning correctly - so it is known as LPR (laryngopharaengeal reflux) aka silent reflux, which doesn’t cause heartburn since the acid isn’t stuck in your chest between the LE and UE sphincters (as in GERD). Instead the acid shoots up into your throat and the mucous develops to protect your throat, larynx, etc from the stomach acid. I even feel little food particles with the acid as far up as in my nose! Ugh!!! My appointment with ENT isn’t until February. Meantime it helps to eat less and remain upright for 2-3 hours after a meal - don’t lie down! If I eat late and go to bed too soon I’ll have horrible mucous coughing up in the morning that must develop throughout the length of the esophagus. I do find chewing gum helps after eating to keep me swallowing. I mean I chew like a lot of gum for a couple hours after a meal and after every little snack. I even started a gum wrapper chain that I suspect will be quite long by the time this is resolved! What I eat doesn’t seem to matter aLOT because it seems like anything that goes down causes the reaction. Apples though are sustaining for me and celery-NOT ( and it’s supposed to be a good one). And remaining on my feet, moving around, works even better than simply sitting upright. Lounging after dinner? No way. Best of luck to all of us with this misery!

Jump to this post

Hi! You’re one of the only people I’ve come across that is having esophageal sphincter problems like I am. I have to have an endoscopy tomorrow with a flip procedure to see what’s going on with all of that. Did you have manometry and endoscopies to diagnose? Did they say if the sphincters should figure themselves out and improve? I’m really sorry you’re going through this!

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2 replies
mimioto | @mimioto | Jan 17, 2023
In reply to @jlkdaggett "Hi! You’re one of the only people I’ve come across that is having esophageal sphincter problems..." + (show)
@jlkdaggett

Hi! You’re one of the only people I’ve come across that is having esophageal sphincter problems like I am. I have to have an endoscopy tomorrow with a flip procedure to see what’s going on with all of that. Did you have manometry and endoscopies to diagnose? Did they say if the sphincters should figure themselves out and improve? I’m really sorry you’re going through this!

Jump to this post

No, it’s just been figured out through cardiac and pulmonary. And I’m seeing an ENT in a few weeks. My fear is that I will end up having to wait for Gastroenterology too! The wait time for appointments is crazy! I was lucky to get in on a cancellation to a pulmonary. Not only this LPR but asthma also developed. My cardiologist first came up with the asthma condition (that I’ve never had before) and prescribed a rescue inhaler for some immediate relief. The pulmonologist then prescribed an inhaler treatment that has helped a lot and discussed her suspicion of LPR. Between the two conditions I was a mess. Have you had asthma with it too? I understand they often develop together.

Good luck with your tests. I look forward to hearing about them, the process, the results and the prognosis. Please update!

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2 replies
jlkdaggett | @jlkdaggett | Jan 17, 2023

You have some good doctors who seem to be thinking outside the box! That’s awesome. I don’t have asthma no, but I do have POTS. Makes me think this whole thing is my autonomic nervous system… my manometry test showed that my LES isn’t relaxing well so fridays test is an investigation to see if that’s totally true. So weird. I have wondered about LPR quite a bit as I feel thick and sticky, and my allergies (that were quite minor before this) are bonkers here in MN in the dead of winter. Calm down body!

REPLY
somebeach | @somebeach | Jan 19, 2023
In reply to @beebee000 "the thing with me is ...it doesn't mater what i eat or drink ever and as..." + (show)
@beebee000

the thing with me is ...it doesn't mater what i eat or drink ever and as soon as anything goes in my mouth, the thick phlegm starts almost immediately because the mucus is always...i mean always in my throat, it never leaves! i never had any of this before covid, i could eat anything and nothing ever bothered me...right now the only thing i can do is to try and keep it calmed down so i'm not choking..this is all day, everyday, everynight, 24-7.....take care...hoping we all get over this so we can have control of our bodies again...

Jump to this post

I have the same feeling. Mucus in my throat that never never never leaves. I can't cough or back it up. Gargling does nothing. I've been doing sinus rinses with the squeeze bottle. I use one saline packet and I add baby shampoo to the solution. Nothing ever comes out when I rinse. However, while the solution is still in my nose, immediately after squeezing, I hold my nose and bend over, letting the solution to into my upper sinuses. I leave it in the for hours before I blow my nose. After a couple of hours, I blow my nose and get thick thick thick white wood glue type mucus out. The mucus in my throat seems to thin slightly.

I've had crazy clear and white mucus since I had a very very mild case of COVID in March 2020 ( no fever, cough, test, nothing really)

Really don't know what else to do.

REPLY
3 replies
beebee000 | @beebee000 | Jan 19, 2023
In reply to @somebeach "I have the same feeling. Mucus in my throat that never never never leaves. I can't..." + (show)
@somebeach

I have the same feeling. Mucus in my throat that never never never leaves. I can't cough or back it up. Gargling does nothing. I've been doing sinus rinses with the squeeze bottle. I use one saline packet and I add baby shampoo to the solution. Nothing ever comes out when I rinse. However, while the solution is still in my nose, immediately after squeezing, I hold my nose and bend over, letting the solution to into my upper sinuses. I leave it in the for hours before I blow my nose. After a couple of hours, I blow my nose and get thick thick thick white wood glue type mucus out. The mucus in my throat seems to thin slightly.

I've had crazy clear and white mucus since I had a very very mild case of COVID in March 2020 ( no fever, cough, test, nothing really)

Really don't know what else to do.

Jump to this post

i use a navage, i used to use the squeeze bottle and the netti pot, i like the navage way better, plus you see and can keep track of the yuck that comes out of your sinues...it was not cheap to buy but i love it..make sure what ever you use to use DISTILLED water..other wise you could end up with more problems. .my mucus looks just like elmers WOOD glue..yellow and thick. i got covid 3 years ago flying from michigan to montana..on stop in minneapolis..hate this stuff. i'm working on it...don't give up!!!!!

REPLY
1 reply
bigdogz | @bigdogz | Jan 22, 2023

Yes I have the same thing now for 6 weeks it’s driving me crazy I am gagging with salt water and using Neti pot

REPLY
gwyn | @gwyn | Jan 25, 2023
In reply to @mimioto "I understand you misery. I’ve had the same thing since late August 2022, a month after..." + (show)
@mimioto

I understand you misery. I’ve had the same thing since late August 2022, a month after covid. It dries out the nasal passages and sinuses and the mucous is nearly gagging in my throat. I get it. I too am on Symbicort, which is a combo of budesonide and formoterol. The pulmonologist, whom I saw in December, believes the mucous is developing as a result of acid reflux. But do I have heartburn? No. Why? Because it appears to be a problem with sphincters, both the lower (LE), and upper (UE) esophageal sphincters not functioning correctly - so it is known as LPR (laryngopharaengeal reflux) aka silent reflux, which doesn’t cause heartburn since the acid isn’t stuck in your chest between the LE and UE sphincters (as in GERD). Instead the acid shoots up into your throat and the mucous develops to protect your throat, larynx, etc from the stomach acid. I even feel little food particles with the acid as far up as in my nose! Ugh!!! My appointment with ENT isn’t until February. Meantime it helps to eat less and remain upright for 2-3 hours after a meal - don’t lie down! If I eat late and go to bed too soon I’ll have horrible mucous coughing up in the morning that must develop throughout the length of the esophagus. I do find chewing gum helps after eating to keep me swallowing. I mean I chew like a lot of gum for a couple hours after a meal and after every little snack. I even started a gum wrapper chain that I suspect will be quite long by the time this is resolved! What I eat doesn’t seem to matter aLOT because it seems like anything that goes down causes the reaction. Apples though are sustaining for me and celery-NOT ( and it’s supposed to be a good one). And remaining on my feet, moving around, works even better than simply sitting upright. Lounging after dinner? No way. Best of luck to all of us with this misery!

Jump to this post

Thankyou for your input. I had Covid in October and have also been left with horrible post nasal drip. I too have had the CT scan on sinuses, blood test for allergies, non steroid and steroid nasal sprays etc etc. It is constantly there and it is worse after eating ...hence the allergy tests. I should have shares in Kleenex because the phlegm,/mucus production is in overdrive all the time. It's exhausting and a bit disgusting ever trying to be discreet with the phlegm removal. I'm sorry to see so many of us have It post Covid but pleased that it is
*a thing* and I'm not alone. I guess we just have to keep positive and try everything at our disposal. Good Luck every one. 😀(I am in Australia )

REPLY
2 replies
billie6977 | @billie6977 | Jan 25, 2023
In reply to @gwyn "Thankyou for your input. I had Covid in October and have also been left with horrible..." + (show)
@gwyn

Thankyou for your input. I had Covid in October and have also been left with horrible post nasal drip. I too have had the CT scan on sinuses, blood test for allergies, non steroid and steroid nasal sprays etc etc. It is constantly there and it is worse after eating ...hence the allergy tests. I should have shares in Kleenex because the phlegm,/mucus production is in overdrive all the time. It's exhausting and a bit disgusting ever trying to be discreet with the phlegm removal. I'm sorry to see so many of us have It post Covid but pleased that it is
*a thing* and I'm not alone. I guess we just have to keep positive and try everything at our disposal. Good Luck every one. 😀(I am in Australia )

Jump to this post

I'm right there with all of y'all and it's like this white foamy stuff,like you would find on top of a hot chocolate covered in marshmallow, but not as nice.
I constantly make jokes about how I'm going to go in business for post nasal plugs, because I have went through so many kleenexes and so much TP that was surprised I even have any skin left on my nose. This is got to be one of the strangest things ever. There is like nothing that I can really take that will make it go away. Neti pots or nasal rinses work awesome from what I hear. The other joke is I've swallowed a cactus and it came out of frog. There are times I have my uvula will swell or my tonsils and adenoids and it's like a scratchy spiny frog is in my throat and when I speak I start to sound like wolfman Jack. Hey, you gotta laugh, it is what keeps you healthy.

REPLY
poppy67 | @poppy67 | Jan 25, 2023
In reply to @gwyn "Thankyou for your input. I had Covid in October and have also been left with horrible..." + (show)
@gwyn

Thankyou for your input. I had Covid in October and have also been left with horrible post nasal drip. I too have had the CT scan on sinuses, blood test for allergies, non steroid and steroid nasal sprays etc etc. It is constantly there and it is worse after eating ...hence the allergy tests. I should have shares in Kleenex because the phlegm,/mucus production is in overdrive all the time. It's exhausting and a bit disgusting ever trying to be discreet with the phlegm removal. I'm sorry to see so many of us have It post Covid but pleased that it is
*a thing* and I'm not alone. I guess we just have to keep positive and try everything at our disposal. Good Luck every one. 😀(I am in Australia )

Jump to this post

It is exhausting to constantly be thinking of this phlegm and how to get rid of it. Does gargling with salt water help? My throat feels coated with this yuckiness all of the time. I used to clear my throat and after several tries could feel it “break up” a little and I’d get some relief. Now that doesn’t work. It’s even hard to get to sleep. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

REPLY
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