Continued Post-Nasal Drip and Constant Mucus in Throat

Posted by adominic @adominic, Mar 22, 2022

I was sick the last week or January/first week of February. Home Test-negative, rapid PCR-negative. All COVID symptoms and known prolonged exposure to infected individuals make me believe it was COVID. Since then, I have had a tremendously hard time dealing with post-nasal drip and mucus collecting in my throat. It is clear, sticky and almost impossible to remove from throat by coughing or clearing my throat. Flonase does nothing, allergy pills do nothing. Had anyone else had an issue like this post COVID? How long did it last? What did you do to cope? Small problem in comparison to others that post here, I realize.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.

beebee000 | @beebee000 | Jun 7, 2023

In reply to @dtorelli "I heard a Neti Pot works." + (show)

i used to use the neti pot..i now use the navage..i love it..it has helped me a lot..

car0 | @car0 | Jun 7, 2023

Ugh! These drs that dismiss!!
I posted this on another thread, but it may be helpful?
I’m not shilling for NY Mt Sinai, but their post Covid clinic info says:

Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome is New—But It’s Real

Because post-COVID symptoms are such a new phenomenon, many patients find that friends, family, and even some physicians dismiss what they are experiencing. This can cause anxiety and depression on top of the physical burden. We know, however, that there are enormous numbers of patients who are presenting with these symptoms.

Many of our patients at the Center for Post-COVID Care are in their 20s to 40s, were relatively healthy, and had mild cases of COVID-19. Most were never hospitalized. Some patients come to the center with diagnosable damage from COVID-19, especially in the lungs. However, many have no clear cause for their symptoms—except that they had COVID-19. One theory is that the immune system is still in overdrive from fighting the virus during the infection. We are studying commonalities among patients, using data we have compiled on lungs, hearts, and brains from high resolution imaging. This will help us determine the effects of COVID-19. In many patients, we are also finding microscopic blood clots in the lungs, heart, liver, and the brain.

“The virus has many different effects on the body. Because the virus goes everywhere after it goes to the lungs, the immune response goes everywhere as well. So part of the damage is from the virus itself, but the immune system is also doing damage to your organs. Your immune system starts by activating cells that kill the virus. But sometimes these cells damage the organ the virus is next to, so it’s almost like collateral damage,” says Zijian Chen, MD, medical director of the Center for Post-COVID Care.

Amanda Roe | @amandajro | Jun 14, 2023

In reply to @changlinhua "Most of the mucus from my post nasal drips goes down to my wind pipe forcing..." + (show)

Hello @changlinhua and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I see you are interested in connecting with others who may also have experience in post-nasal drip, so you will notice that I have moved your post here:
- Continued Post-Nasal Drip and Constant Mucus in Throat: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/continued-post-nasal-drip-and-constant-mucus-in-throat/

Members like @car0 @beebee000 @griffin1120 and @yinzerific may be able to return to join you.

Have you tried a neti pot before?

covidstinks2023 | @covidstinks2023 | Jun 15, 2023

In reply to @amandajro "Hello @changlinhua and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I see you are interested in connecting with..." + (show)

So far, I have found nothing that helps this sticky thick saliva. Culture shows it is no longer thrush, just normal mouth bacteria...but it is anything but normal. I believe Covid attacked my mucosa and salivary glands (that's just my thoughts). I have been diagnosed with long Covid and am going to a Covid Recovery Clinic next month. I get choked on this stuff at night, I scrape my tongue several times a day, use Listerine, Perxoyl, and brush 3 times a day, salt water rinse, stay hydrated and still have this. Some days are better than others, but, it is never gone. I realize this is nothing compared to others. It's not painful, just aggravating. I'm hopeful there will be a solution for us all. Prayers....

beebee000 | @beebee000 | Jun 15, 2023

In reply to @covidstinks2023 "So far, I have found nothing that helps this sticky thick saliva. Culture shows it is..." + (show)

this is exactly what i've been going through now for three and a half years, i have tried every thing, i can get it under control sometimes but it NEVER is gone from my throat and this is NOT post nasal drip..two nights ago it was so bad it blocked my airway, a nurse said to me once.."why don't you just swallow it"...serious, i wish i could..this is not like a normal mucus..it's like elmers glue that lines my throat and builds and it is always there... i thought by now i would be over this and i'm soooo exhaused, i swear i could fall asleep standing up, we have to keep fighting this..hang in there!!

covidstinks2023 | @covidstinks2023 | Jun 15, 2023

In reply to @beebee000 "this is exactly what i've been going through now for three and a half years, i..." + (show)

beebee000, Yes we will get through this. Bless you and I am sorry you have battled this for 3 1/2 years. I've had it for 8 months. Praying for you right now! Hopeful...

kimhein12 | @kimhein12 | Jun 27, 2023

In reply to @luca79 "hello, male 43 yo. otherwise in good health. never smoked. about 12 months ago, I have..." + (show)

@luca79

hello,
male 43 yo. otherwise in good health. never smoked.
about 12 months ago, I have been exposed repently to a high temperature change (from a 18° when I was abroad, to 30° back in my country). At the same time, I got covid.
those days, I sarted experimenting post nasal drip: mucus from the back of the nose that goes down to throat. From there, never passed completely. I still daily, experiment this.
I noticed that it gets worse, as even before
- when exposed to humid cold.
- when eating HOT food (hot milk, even pasta)
but now, something more completely new to me, it gets worse:
- when eating SUGARS, even sweet fruit (apples)
- Ice creams are the thing that get me the worst.(in fact they are sweet cold and humid)

But, oddly enough, NOT when eating sugar melt in a cup of water...

But even trying to avoid sugar and all of the above, the post nasal drip isn't completely gone, and in any case I start eating again those foods, it gets worse again.

I tried also to replace milk with soy milk or coconut milk, but sill I have the problem.

oddly, the sun, that always makes go away the post nasal drip when I had flue... does nothing at all in this case.

The specialist of ears/nose/throat who visited me, gave me some steroids nasal spray (Beclomethasone) to do for one month and repeat when neessary, but I had no benefits at all.

I was reading too that there is a "turbinate hypertrophy" that can be caused by high temperature change (like happened to me) and that causes post nasal drip, among the other things, but the doctors who visited me didnt tell me I had that. Moreover, it should cause problem to respiration, that I dont think I have.

Searching the web, some say that persistent post nasal drip may be caused by fungus, that live with sugars, and suggest to avoid sugars and eat cold liver oil, that boost immunitary system and is fungicide. but still I have the problem.

Has anyone had long term post nasal drip, after sudden temperature change/covid? or that get worse eating sugar?
and how did you solved it?

thank you!!!

Jump to this post

Did you ever find a remedy? I’m experiencing exactly what you describe since middle of April 2023. I had a hip replacement in march. I’m active and a personal trainer. The costa t swallow I have is truly annoying! Now feels upper respiratory.

TSB | @terrirussell | Jun 28, 2023

Live a low to no, histamine life……thats how to stop it. Also Singular and Pepcid AC every morning. Educate yourself on MCAS to make sure that is not the root cause as it was for me. Mast Cell never goes away ……..they push a vegetarian diet but that made it worse for me. I went on a Carnivore protocol and it immediately got under control. Maybe thats because I a an O blood type, created by meateaters. It’s a very careful diet of very low histamine foods and water and carbonated water w a bit of Monk fruit to sweeten. Thats it……but I don’t choke or have phlegm in my sinus, and mucus in eyes or fluid in my ears any more…..if so, I check my diet immediately. I also keep Histamine Block very close by and use Chromolyn Sodium nasal spray. Good luck!

vlkmpls | @vlkmpls | Jul 8, 2023

I have had this for 3 years - post Covid 11/2020. I have had covid 2 additional times since. Yes I’m vaccinated and boosted. I have tried many “fixes” - from homeopath to 800$ inhalers with no relieve. It has lessened to mornings instead of all day and night. I cough until around 11 am expelling thick sticky mucus. The way I describe it is - think of a cat with a fur-ball stuck . Until they have more data I have given up on a “cure”. As the drs say - we can treat the symptoms. At this point, I’ve learned to live with it.

car0 | @car0 | Jul 9, 2023

In reply to @yinzerific "I don't have any suggestions to add, but I just want to say this thread has..." + (show)

I agree. This chat is needed. I really wish anything worked for me— antihistamines, prednisone, nasal rinses, steroid and non-steroidal nasal sprays, antibios, drinking water by the bucketfuls… but it just doesn’t. I’m having an endoscopy soon, and while I know— and YOU know— that stretching my esophagus won’t help? I’m going to try. I want to swallow! I can swallow food and drink no problem. It is the post nasal…. cement. Not drip, it’s the fast drying kind of cement or ceramic or glue!!
Drives. Me. Sleepless.