Hello fellow sufferers! I am so happy to have found this forum and know that I am not the only one experiencing this so thanks very much to everyone who has contributed.
I have been having this ‘coughing up mucusey and occasionally bloody scab’ problem for a couple of years now. Thanks also for the photos because they have confirmed that I think we all have the same problem. Also, consistently with other people’s experiences it is worse over the winter and then I don’t notice it over the summer. At worst over winter I cough one up everyday, at best every few days - it varies.
I have found the last post the most helpful to me because I finally started googling and looking into this because I am thinking of getting pregnant and was concerned about whether or not I should get pregnant with an ongoing health issue. So thanks very much for sharing that info, I think I can confidently go ahead knowing it won’t affect things. I have only just, a couple of days ago, started taking the vitamins - so too soon to know if that will help but fingers crossed.
From reading everyone’s comments I think I’m coming to the conclusion that this could be down to environmental factors and maybe overall health? I’ll share some of my environmental and health info in case it is helpful.
- I’m 34, female, in good health otherwise, very slightly overweight and not very fit at the moment. Perhaps it’s worth saying that about 3 years ago I moved and started working from home - at this time I think I started exercising less and had a few too many snacks and put on a bit of weight. And shortly afterwards the throat issues started. So perhaps the fact that my overall health and fitness declined has had something to do with it.
- I don’t have a dog but do have occasional interaction with dogs.
- I used to be a smoker but not for about 5 years - I now only indulge when on holiday (once a year or so). I don’t notice any impact but I’m sure it doesn’t help.
- I do drink, favour a G&T in the evening maybe 3 or 4 times a week. Again - this has been a habit that has developed over the last 3/4 years - before I used to have a drink much less regularly so another factor that probably isn’t helping. Perhaps quitting alcohol due to pregnancy was another factor that helped @reebobbin improve?
- I have never had any ENT surgery of any kind. I did have a phase of chronic nose-bleeds when I was a teenager but these seemed to clear up on their own. I do get a very occasional nose-bleeds in adulthood when I have had a cold and been blowing my nose too much (Side note - my father has the same issue). I have noticed that when I have a nose bleed, a blood clot has formed in my sinuses and only when I blow it out does the nose bleeding seem to stop.
- I think I am quite a mucusey person in general - I’m always the person blowing their nose constantly in winter and reaching for the tissues as soon as I get some cold air on my face.
- I sometimes have phases of having quite bad sinus headaches.
So in general I think it’s fair to conclude that I have quite delicate sinuses - sounds like some other sufferers on here do too? - and maybe this genetic disposition makes us more susceptible to this throat issue that might be exacerbated by not being quite fit and healthy enough to keep our immune systems in tip top shape?
Thanks again everyone, I’ll check back on here once I’ve been on the vitamins for a bit longer and see if I can report any changes. I think information sharing is the key for solving unusual health issues!
Hi @georgieuk and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You seem to be well aware of your health and recognize areas that you can change. I, too, work from home and exercise or even getting up once an hour can be challenging, especially if you're engrossed in your work. I have made a daily early morning exercise routine a non-negotiable in my life. When I get up, I put on on my workout clothes no questions asked. Just having on the "uniform" makes it easier for me to just do it. Remembering to get up from my desk throughout the day, not so easy for some reason.
Might regularly rinsing with a neti pot help you?