Phlegm in my throat and post nasal drip after Covid

I feel for you . . . Truly. It looks like you are putting up a valiant fight, and that you are considering serrapeptase is a sign that you are already thinking outside the box for deeper solutions. I no longer take serrapeptase, but when I did, I was also taking other proteolytic enzymes, and consistently, I took each enzyme separately so that I could control and modulate dosing across these. So I never tried the Enzymedica product, but I see that it contains 40,000 serrapeptase units per dose, which, for me, was my starting dose. (I found that when I increased up to 120,000 units/day, I developed bronchospasms (my manifestation of a mild chronic asthma. Serrapeptase can actually help some users with lung congestion and spasms, but in others, it can bring on an annoying cough that feels like cough-reflex asthma.) I used many different brands of serrapeptase. All were claimed to be acid-resistant, and most achieved this through an enteric coating. I took the word of each manufacturer, regarding acid resistance, but never really dug deeper to see whether the particular product had been conclusively shown to make it intact through the upper GI tract.

Iĺl digress now to say that while on serrapeptase, I did initially see a really noticeable improvement in the number of hours, each day, I could breathe better through my nose, but the cough got to me in the end, and I pared down my whole regimen. Now I am relying wholly on a long-term B1/thiamine protocol in hopes of reversing the vasomotor rhinitis with nasal block that COVID left me with, and patience may be paying off, because even without the large collection of sinus-focused remedies (enzymes, Chinese herbs, Western herbs) that I took for my initial months after COVID, I am seeing improvement now that is gradual, but more steady than what I experienced before I committed to significantly higher doses of thiamine daily. If you haven´t looked into thiamine supplementation/repletion for the chronic disorders you are experiencing, please consider doing that. Even PCOS has been found to be associated with dysautonomia, and if you follow this lead, you may discover that possibly all disorders you had even before COVID hit have been linked to thiamine deficiencies or thiamine metabolism defects. The pioneer in this field was Dr. Derrick Lonsdale. His textbook is a very heavy read, but lots of his shorter scientific and popular-audience articles are easy to find just by Googling, and you may find these quite interesting. The theme in all of Lonsdaleś work was that the deepest cause of a very wide range of modern human disease is disruption of a wide range of our molecular-level metabolic pathways, and that this disruption, in turn, is the result of basic vitamin deficiencies and malabsorption syndromes that make it impossible for our natural healing pathways to work properly. (He focused on excessive refined carbohydrate consumption in the modern diet of developed countries as a likely trigger of metabolic pathway disruptions.) The clinician who has made Lonsdaleś work most accessible, in my view, is Elliot Overton, a functional medicine practitioner in the UK. His materials are available online, too. Please hold on to hope. You are young, still. I am lots, lots older, and even I am starting to see light at the end of the tunnel as I continue with my thiamine protocol.

I’ve been following those posting about the nasal congestion, runny nose and excessive phlegm. How many have intermittent periods where the symptoms subside? I find some days the symptoms are profuse, and then some days go pretty well. Does this make sense? I don’t get it.

I had a discussion about the symptoms yesterday with my initial visit to a rheumatologist. She didn’t have much to offer, but she listened intently and I believe she will search for more info after meeting with me. I was actually there for body limb issues that could be due to an autoimmune disorder. But, she looks at all symptoms, including my smell/taste disorders and post covid syndrome diagnosis. She seems like a very sharp person, so I hope she runs across something helpful. She is working with my neurologist to help me with my symptoms. They are both at a large teaching hospital, so that brings me some hope.

Thanks for doing the term “slime.” That’s a good description for me to use with my doctors. I talk about “clear thick phlegm i can scoop out with my fingers.” I think “slime” would help them better understand the thickness. It gives me a sort of indigestion, heartburn, and it feels like there’s a ball of it in my esophagus and stomach at times.

It comes and goes. I drink lots of water when it’s bad- that seems to thin it out for me, especially if I’m giving a long presentation or discussion at work.

I’m just wondering if you had bloodwork following Covid that showed markers for your rheumatology visit. I did, ANA+/ titter 1:320. My apt wasn’t until 5-6 months later and I felt pretty much brushed off as I did with ENT and my primary. It’s two years later and I’m still struggling and got Covid again. I got a rx for paxlovid and hoped it would wipe it all out - it did not. At this point I’m pretty much lost with a bad feeling of resignation and hopelessness. GI has determined serious acid reflux and ulcers, stomach and esophagus, but the PPI treatment is ineffective. He also discovered a hiatal hernia that might be the problem but my FU is still a month away. Lately my dentist indicated my sinuses at least on one side are low which might be my dental pain problem. I’ll have a CT for that next week.

I’m really interested in your neuro findings because I’m wondering if this whole thing could be related to a nerve problem specifically the vagus nerve because my problem is from my sinuses through respiratory and gastric systems. Treatment in each specialty clinic is effective short term but nothing is getting rid of my problems in total. Please continue to share your findings and good luck to you.

This is very interesting.

I must say that my symptoms are pretty mild.

I had a mild cold [well, I guess it might have been mild COVID, but I never thought to test myself], and after it ended, I was left with Post Nasal Drip.
It feels like I have a little bit of mucus in the back of my throat, all the time. I then have to swallow it. I must be honest, there is no pain, or discomfort, but it is something that wasn’t there, before the cold. So, I feel I should try and treat this problem.

You are the first person who has come up with a concrete solution to this issue.
I have always wondered if antibiotics might work. I am going to ask my Doctor, tomorrow, to give me a course of Amoxicillin.

Let’s see what happens.
I will reply here, and let you know the results.

Thank you for actually giving us, some hope. 🙂

My neuro ordered antibody tests in prep for the rheumatologist visit. I took them in July this year. My covid was Sept 2023. I had an abnormal ANA, but rheumatologist suspects that was due to type 1 diabetes, psoriasis and hypothyroidism, which I’ve had a long time. My markers were 1:16, which is low, I think, though not normal. She ordered an RA test too. Upcoming.

My ENT was so impressed with my improvement last month, on the smell test that he didn’t do any other tests. So, I’m waiting for the stuffy left nostril, runny nose and throat congestion to clear on its own. Sigh.

Exactly! The glob of thick mucous was my first annoying symptom. Thinking it was a sinus drain or infection I went to a walk in clinic. While she didn’t find evidence of an infection she gave me a rx for antibiotics anyway. No help there. It continued to where I had a lot of phlegm production in my upper airways and would cough so hard trying to clear it that I’m thinking maybe that caused the hiatal hernia, I dont know. Anyway yes this all started a few weeks after a mild case of Covid 8/2022. Airy, dry cough, headaches and fatigue, nothing life altering, until…a few weeks later and it’s snowballed and been hell since then.

The best I’ve had in helping reflux is cromolyn sodium, a liquid that stabilizes mast cells in the stomach to reduce the histamine release that triggers acid production. Only available by rx. I thought it was the cure! Until it wasn’t. H2 blockers like Famotodine and cimetidine also help along with avoiding triggers ( I’ve been tested and have allergies previously unknown) especially soy. Allergy /Immunology has helped me with these remedies (cromolyn, H2 blockers, allergy testing). I believe that if the hiatal hernia repairs or is repaired it may all resolve. Meantime I eat very light in the AM don’t snack and one meal late afternoon/ early eve. Lots of water that never really loosens or thins the mucous but do it anyway. I tend to be real thirsty most of the time. Although the dryness has decreased since cromolyn. Best of luck to you.

I have the same problem, never in my 52 years on earth have I had sinus issues but 2 years ago developed pain in nose and phlegm in throat that makes me continuously swallow. This was not after getting covid, however I believe the vaccine is to blame.
I’d appreciate anyone else who has developed sinus problems since having COVID vaccine to respond.
Best wishes

Yesterday, I had a doctors appointment and she has given me a 5 day course of Amoxicillin [500mg] [3/day].
This was actually for an ear infection that I have, but it will be very interesting to see what happens to my mucus production in the nose/throat area.
The worse part of this issue, is the bad breath that I can taste, although the doctor said she couldn’t smell anything. But I think she was lying to make me feel better.
I have never had bad breath, in my life.
So, this is quite disconcerting, but maybe I should count myself lucky, that my symptoms aren’t too bad, at the moment. 🤷‍♀️
I will keep you posted and let you know, how things go, during this course of antibiotics.
I mean if this does improve my condition, then this wouid suggest that Amoxicillin might be a potential solution.
A cure for one person might be a lucky coincidence, but if two people become cured, then that is a pattern.
Let’s see? 🤔

Could you describe the taste you have? I’ve had metallic turned bitter taste in my mouth for almost a year. And, have post covid syndrome.