Every day I cough up what looks like a scab with ugly mucous and blood

@fcleaner1 @beebuzz @needtoknow Hey guys, pardon the totally gross pictures, but I thought it might be helpful to make sure everyone has the same issue in mind. The photo is of the afore mention snot crusts. I’ve been definitively diagnosed with chronic adenoiditis, and will soon be having them removed. Currently, I have to clear one of these bad boys out more or less daily, and at times, it can be annoyingly difficult, painful, and embarrassing to try and “cough it up.” Basically, you sound like you’re trying to (pardon me) “hawk up” a stubborn loogie (sp?). I encourage anyone with similar symptoms to gather the evidence: save/document a series of crusts (to show your provider), study nasal anatomy/read about chronic adenoiditis, and perhaps most important: find an ENT who listens to you, and agrees to perform an internal laryngopharyngeal exam with a flexible fiber scope.

@klpdx @reebobbin

Halleluiah, I’ve been cured.

I was bringing up a scab every 3 days, it’s now been 2 months since my last scab.

In May I went back to my ENT. He scoped me and extracted the scab… sent it to the lab for pathology.

The report came back as Heavy Growth Staphylococcus Aureus. Moderate Gram Positive Cocci in pairs.
The pathology report included a Susceptibility Results report, which listed various antibiotics and if the specimen was resistant or susceptible.

From the list of susceptible antibiotics, my ENT prescribed Levofloxacin Tabs 500mg for 21 days.

So far, 2 months and no scabs. Hopefully this information can help you find an answer as well.

Also - I had been on a zPack the 2 weeks prior to the Levoflxacin. It did change the frequency of the scabs, but it came back as soon as I was finished with the zPack ... you need the right antibiotic for an extended period

Good afternoon everyone! I posted on here a while back about my journey with these frustrating things. The ENT looked into my nasal cavity and noticed they were attached to my adenoid. He scraped it off and said the adenoid underneath looked normal. However, the presence of this clump of mucus was NOT normal. So the ENT had me flush with a nasal rinse twice a day, use Flonase twice a day and added Azelastine twice a day. I did this for almost two months (November - December) last year. It did reduce the frequency of these from about one a day to about one every ten or so days. It also made them a little bit less thick in consistency. Needless to say this did not solve the problem.

When I went back for a follow up my ENT recommended I get my adenoid taken out and have some biopsies done. So we did that at the end of January. My biopsies came back normal however I did have a positive culture for staphylococcus aureus. He prescribed me clindamycin. After some surgery complications and finishing off my antibiotic these things came back with a vengeance and were happening every day again. In fact they were now far larger than before, I am guessing they were filling the area where the adenoid was. So my ENT ordered a CT scan of the sinuses. That too came back normal. The one thing my ENT did say before and after the surgery and CT was that I have an area near my adenoid that sticks out a little. He tried to flatten that out the best he could when he took my adenoid out but couldn't reduce it completely. My ENT also told me that he expected the biopsies were going to come back with some issues. When they were clear he was somewhat surprised as he hasn't seen this kind of thing before. As time went on my scabs got less in frequency and size until they were almost nonexistent. When I went back for a two and a half month follow up my ENT said everything at that time looked good. There was no scab and honestly I hadn't had a scab for a few weeks at that time.

Now fast forward to now. The scabs are back and they occur anywhere from every day to one every few days. They are still alot smaller than what they were when this journey began. I have been racking my mind trying to figure out if there is an environmental connection. I have changed soap, deodorant, toothpaste. I've stopped taking supplements and vitamins for an extended period to see if that did it and so far no connection. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps it is my indoor AC/Heating. I say this because when I had very few scabs for that time period before my follow up...our AC had been off because the weather was nice. With it being much hotter since then...our AC has been on almost every day. So perhaps there is a connection there. We always change our filters and keep our vents clean so maybe it is something else related to the AC?

Here is a little more info that may be related to this and that perhaps might be a common theme amongst all of us? I take the following prescriptions: Pantaprozole (Proton Pump Inhibitor) for GERD since 2007, Nortryptiline for IBS since 2007, and Metroprolol since 2013 for high blood pressure. I am not overweight. I exercise at least four to five times a week; both strength training and cardio. I am in my early forties. I don't smoke and don't drink. I did have a period of almost three years where my liver enzymes were slightly elevated. I went through all kinds of tests, including a liver biopsy and all came back negative. Those values returned to normal about two years ago and the last time I was tested (six or so months ago) one of the values was just a few clicks above normal. So who knows what that is all about or if it even ties in to this...

In short, after all of that, this is what the doctors have concluded at this point in time: THEY HAVE NO IDEA. They have told me the same thing they told me about my elevated liver enzymes...this is a new "normal" for me.

@jea1 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It must be concerning and frustrating to not have answers. I'm wondering if you have considered traveling to see a specialized provider?

jea1- Hi. I wouldn’t classify yourself as this being a mystery. That will make you feel as if you have something really wrong with you. Bodies are amazing and complex at the same time. If this is not causing you real issues other than annoyance and started in your twenties. It’s most likely an area in your nasal cavity that for whatever reason causes an inability for mucous to clear in that area, so sometimes it may sit there and that’s when you start to feel it. Overtime mucous membranes can dry out which is perhaps why you feel it more and more. This could be something so simple as upping your water hydration, adding humidifier to your room and or making sure your diet is rich in all vital nutrients. Try to load up on more water, and fresh fruits, vegetables and a low inflammatory diet.

Dried out throat mucus: If I am using fast-acting morphine for heart spams, despite my dental sleep apnea device, my mouth dries faster. I try to use less drastic medications with less side-effects! Keep hydrated!