Phlegm in my throat and post nasal drip after Covid

Hey everyone,
I’ve been following this thread for well over a year - dealing with similar post-COVID phlegm and post-nasal drip issues, so I asked Grok AI to analyze this entire thread (all 105 pages) and come up with a fresh hypothesis and treatment ideas based on the patterns in our stories.
Its response - Vagus, trigeminal, glossopharyngeal polyneuropathy. Hypothesis in simple terms: COVID might damage key nerves in your head (vagus for throat/gut signals, trigeminal for face/sinus sensation, and glossopharyngeal for swallowing/throat feel). This creates overactive reflexes that mess up mucus balance in your throat and nose, leading to that constant “stuck” feeling—especially after eating or drinking. Makes sense why it takes so long to recover. Nerves are notoriously difficult to heal. Also somwehat explains increased migranes behind the eyes, anxiety, brain fog, and low energy.

Potential treatments (key ones from Grok’s protocol—always check with a doctor first):
• 60-hour water fast to kickstart healing.
• Switch to an anti-inflammatory keto diet (low carbs, high healthy fats) afterward.
• Supplements: 600mg R-alpha lipoic acid twice daily (For Nerve health), 600mg NAC twice daily, 500mg Vitamin C twice daily.
• Daily nerve stimulation: 30min vagus TENS on ear (25Hz, 250μs), 40-60min trigeminal TENS on forehead.
• Cold plunges in 50°F water for 10min, 3x/week.
• Wim Hof breathing: 40 breaths, 4 rounds every morning.

Bunch of other treatment ideas it had also...but you can ask any AI what potential treatments there would be for this polyneuropathy to tailor to your own needs.

Here is a link for you to read my initial query:
https://grok.com/share/c2hhcmQtMg_f606e6ee-d03e-41a2-ba1e-a6a582d55f10
Grok thinks this could help repair nerves and reduce mucus over 6-18 months, but it’s theoretical—curious if anyone’s tried similar? Let’s discuss!

@drbf thank you! I forgot
To mention I pushed for CT and have had 2 within the past year each after a sinus infection. I have a deviated septum on the right & possible mucosal retention cyst which they don’t want to do surgery for to remove despite it causing so much frustration. In addition to both sinus infections this past year, I also ended up with bad ear infections and was referred to audiology. Pressure check confirmed increased pressure (duh) and I have follow up today to see if I need a tube to drain whatever is left. My hearing returned but not 100% so we’ll see.
I just wish we the patients would be heard more. I don’t want unnecessary tests but I do want to find a solution

@jflores17

What did you find out?

@drbf the audiologist appt went well and said hearing is almost all the way back but can take a few months. I will continue to push for answers on the increased phlegm cause.
I’m considering doing an extended water fast to trigger self healing. I’ve done one years ago and forgot how good I felt afterwards. Will report back with any updates.

@jflores17 yes, please let us know! This mucus/phlegm thing is so awful…

I referred to this post 4 months ago and now that I feel I'm close to recovery I want to at least share my experience. In July 2024 I got covid (never tested but had the same symptoms of those around me who tested and had it - fever, bad mucus, fatigue...etc) and thought it would heal eventually, at least within a couple weeks. Fast forward 1 year later and 10+ visits to the doctor and I still had mucus constantly in my throat that if I didn't spit out would give me an upset stomach. It was disrupting my sleep, work, and social life. The mucus itself was generally white but would sometimes be yellow and none of my ENTs had solutions that worked for me. I tested and received treatment for:
-Sinusitis (CT Scan showed this was not the case)
-Allergies (4 months of antihistamines, 6 weeks of nasal rinse, 2 international trips and experiencing every season did not relieve it)
-Food allergies (6 weeks of cutting gluten, dairy, egg, many nuts, and more had no result)
-Imagined sensation (took Chinese herbal meds to help me forget I was sick - didn't help)
-Chronic Bronchitis (Got X-rays and meds for it but it seemed to just come back randomly)
After so long and having other health issues arise due to stress, I eventually quit my job in September 2025 and moved back in with my parents, a perk of being a young adult. With the aid of ChatGPT I narrowed down my likely troubles to LPR and long-covid, and LPR being more likely I gave a treatment for it a shot. Because I was annoyed of having doctors treat me like a formula (X symptom = Y disease so take Z medication) I consulted AI and it told me what no doctor had before - stop clearing your throat, cough as little as possible, and don't scrape out throat mucus with your uvula or tongue. Apparently with LPR your throat is hurt by an acid reflux so the body produces mucus to help it heal or something. If I remember right, the acid is what makes the mucus yellow. Anyway, coughing and clearing your throat only hurts your throat more so the body makes more mucus and a downward spiral begins. In the end, I had to drink lots of warm water to bring up mucus safely or just swallow it for two weeks before any big improvement. However, quickly after I started my treatment I stopped coughing for 30 minutes in bed every night, stopped carrying boxes of tissues around, and finally felt like I began healing. 2 months later and I'm not fully healed, but I do feel a lot better and have a lot of hope that this LPR I have will go away completely. I'm not saying that generative AI has any medical authority, only that I found it useful in figuring out my problems. The frustration is real and I feel for all you who are going through this or something similar for much longer than the 18 months I've dealt with it so far. Hope this helps.

I am going through similar symptoms, I saw two Japanese ENT. They both stated that I have Chronic nasopharyngitis, based on my chronic symptoms, such as discomfort in the back of the throat, phlegm buildup, postnasal drip, general weakness, neck and shoulder pain and stiffness. I have received the Pharyngeal abrasion therapy several times while I was in Japan. That seemed to help my symptoms. I also tried acupuncture several times.

I became very sick a year ago and was diagnosed bronchitis. Now I wonder if I had Covid as well. .