Chronic chest congestion & throat clearing - it's driving me crazy!

In My Humble Opinion
1

Ok, here’s the deal. I have been to my doctor about this health issue and I don’t seem to be getting anywhere with it. When I go to walk-in clinics to see a different doctor, they tell me to go see my family doctor about this kind of chronic issue.

I’m a 38 year old Canadian male and in reasonably good health.

Since January 1st of last year (2008), I have experienced a chronic congestion in my upper chest that requires me to clear my throat and cough to relieve the congestion. Once I’ve cleared my throat, it takes about 15-30 seconds until I have the urge to clear or cough again. Since it’s been an ongoing problem for over a year now; by definition this is chronic bronchitis.

The mucous is clear, for the most part, except sometimes in the mornings it is a little thicker and occasionally cream-coloured.

Occasionally, there are longer periods between the chest clearings, but I can’t find a pattern in terms of what might cause the differences (humidity, diet, stress, etc), except I have noticed that it generally tends to be worse toward the evening. Interestingly, when I lay down in bed at night, after about 20 minutes I can often go for minutes at a time without any chest clearing.

Along with these symptoms, I experience chronic post-nasal drip which I suspect may be the source of my chest congestion. My doctor tells me I don’t have a deviated septum or nasal polyps, and the Fluticasone nasal spray I was prescribed had no effect on my PND.

I have tried many different allergy medications, which don’t stop the drip.

I have tried several acid-reflux medications, which haven’t changed the symptoms of chronic bronchitis.

I have had two sets of chest x-rays that have showed that have been unremarkable, a normal spirometer and my pulmonary functioning test was well within normal range. I am a non-smoker and have never worked in an environment with any known dangerous airborne particles. I have been told by a respiratory and pulmonary specialist that I do not have COPD.

I have seen my doctor about eight times about this issue. He’s always very patient, but essentially the explanation I get is that some people clear their throats more than others. What’s even more frustrating is that on most occasions when I’ve seen him, I’ve only needed to clear my throat/chest a couple of times during our appointment!! ARrrrgh!

My question is: If you’re a medical professional - is there anything in your experience that hasn’t been covered here - any direction that I might be able to research and bring up with my doctor?

All I can come up with on my own is that maybe I have some kind of virus that’s here to stay. While my life isn’t being threatened, my quality of life has certainly been diminished.

All caveats, etc. well understood. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

~ Libre

2

The SDMB Google Ads are showing “Asthma Cure”, which reminds me that I have had two different types of bronchodilator inhalers which have done nothing for me. I don’t have any shortness of breath, so I’m pretty sure asthma is out of the question.

3

Not a medical professional but I had a very similar condition that stopped when I quit smoking.

4

IANAD but I had a sorta similar case

for a few months I could barely sit up without coughing (coming off playing soccer for 14 years this was a concern to me). I went to several doctors who all prescribed me anti-biotics which didn’t do a damn thing. Finally one doc said it might be seasonal asthma (mind you I’m from california, we don’t have seasons) and he prescribed me steroids for a week. After that I was completely fine

5

You make no mention of diet, have you considered this aspect.

6

I have thought of this, but perhaps not as thoroughly as necessary? I’ve done a detox diet for two weeks without any relief from the symptoms. This included abstaining from the following:

Sugar
Dairy Products
Wheat
Gluten
Coffee
Yeast
Alcohol
Food additives/preservatives
High-fat foods

Essentially, all I ate was brown rice, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts & seeds, coconut and olive oil as well as herbal teas.

7

Did this have any effect?

You mention it’s worse toward the end of the day. Is this on workdays only or seven days a week?

A chronic post-nasal drip could certainly trigger some of those symptoms. And if you’re exposed to some air pollutants at work, it’d make sense that your symptoms are worse after a day of exposure. If it’s more of a mechanical / chemical irritation (vs an allergic), that might explain why the nasal steroids didn’t help.

Have you tried saline nasal sprays or even a neti pot to try to wash away any irritants? Might help, might not, but those are both low-cost things you could try.

8

Post nasal drip can cause throat irritation so I would not be surprised if they are indeed related. I’d recommend seeing an ENT specialist (Otolaryngology) about this and see if they can recommend something to help with the nasal drainage.

9

I’m constantly dealing with congestion, mostly in the mornings. It seems like I always have a blob of mucus in the back of my throat that sucks up all moisture and makes me thirsty. The real bummer is when you’re in public and you’re trying not to make a big “HOCCCCCCCCCCH” sound, so you vainly try to swallow it down. I have sinus and allergy problems, and possibly asthma. When I exercise my nose starts running and everything drains back there. I haven’t had much success in stopping it, though Sudafed or any drug that dries up the sinuses can provide some relief.

10

My husband has been clearing his throat for all the years I’ve known him. I finally made him go to the doctor about it, and he, too, was told it was because of post nasal drip. He was given some kind of inhaler or something – I don’t remember. Anyway, it didn’t work, and he never tried anything else, I guess because he was so used to doing the throat-clearing thing, he didn’t really even notice it anymore, I guess.

Well, I recently got him started using a neti pot, and lo and behold, not only does he love it, but I cannot recall the last time I heard him clear his throat! I just went to Walgreens and bought one of these, which comes with all the pre-mixed ingredients to just dump in the pot and stir up. We use it in the shower, so it’s very convenient.

Good luck – I hope you get some relief soon!

11

If Walgreens has neti pots, I may pick one up. It’s worth a shot, I suppose.

12

I developed a chronic cough a couple of years ago (no mucus involved, sorry) and went to several doctors with no results. Finally we learned that I had new allergy to birds and feathers – my husband had given me a down-filled coat for Christmas.

I miss that coat.

13

I have the exact same thing, and I still haven’t found a really good fix for it. However, I’ve found a neti pot reduces my symptoms quite a bit, along with the fluticasone and occasionally some antihistamines.

However, my doctor gave me a prescription for Singulair, which is typically prescribed for asthma, but she thought it would probably help with my issue if the fluticasone did not. Basically, it inhibits mucus production. I never filled it because it’s just too expensive to be worth it, since I mostly have things under control with the above measures. Might be worth asking your doc about, though.

14

I have a friend who quit smoking cigarettes, but smokes pot A LOT and she’s always got a floating loogie in her throat. The biggest problem is she doesn’t clear it often enough so she’s always gurgling. :eek:

15

Do you own a sling blade? I call it a kaiser blade myself.

16

Thank you for everyone’s suggestions, and also for sharing your personal experiences.

I work at home, and I’ve moved three times during the past year - so unless something is following me around, I’m fairly sure it’s not a workplace-related allergy. I don’t have feather pillows, but I do have feather duvets. Hmm, maybe I should try just regular blankets for awhile.

Can you develop an allergy where the symptoms are not affected by antihistamines (which I did try for awhile?)

I’ve tried a neti pot as well, which although is really excellent for clearing/cleaning the sinuses, doesn’t afford any relief for my post nasal drip.

17

IANAD, but I’ve also some similar symptoms though not to the same degree. My probs are caused by allergies.

Have you had a bunch of allergy tests? You may be allergic to something that is uncommon. The standard allergy tests only test for the most common possible allergens.

I also have multiple allergies, one of them is to dust mites. I take an antihistimine which helps but does not eliminate all of the allergies symptoms.

I have an air filter which helps. I also have a special mattress cover and pillow case cover that are for people with dust mite allergies. I also launder my sheets, pillow cases, pillows, and blankets often in hot water and the highest setting on the dryer.

Another thing that helps is that when the heater is not on, I put a towel over the vent so that dust does not collect. Also make sure your air conditioner filter is clean. In addition, it’s better not open windows.

Lastly, if your problems are worse at night, it may be because your apartment is dusty. I dust often, including the floor. If you are sensitive to the dust, you may want to hire someone to clean for you or wear a mask over your nose and mouth as you dust. I also don’t wear my shoes in the house.

Is it possible that you may be allergic to something like mold? Is there a mold problem in your apartment?

18

I left out the most obvious and important one if your problem is caused by allergies. Allergy shots have helped me tremendously.

Also food allergies may also cause a lot of mucus. Have you had a food allergy test done? I think that the most common food allergies are actually to some very healthy foods such as fruits and veggies.

I have also found aerobic exercise can help somewhat.

19

Hi Discodancer - thanks for the feedback on dust mites (mould is not a problem.) I’ve actually considered this before, but I’ve never gone further with it than taking antihistamines. I’ve gone camping for two weeks with brand new camping gear before - getting out of my home environment - which did not abate my problem; so I assumed that dust mites weren’t the critters responsible.

I’ll talk to my doctor about it… your suggestions appreciated.

20

Not much to add except a “me too”. I had a cold with chest congestion last November, and it’s still here. At the same time we went through much family turmoil (wife, illness) which is ongoing, which has caused stress, diet changes, and lack of regular exercise. So god knows what’s causing it or keeping it going…but I’m still coughing up loogies. It’s gotten so I’m reluctant to laugh heartily, as it causes a coughing fit. A doctor has listened to my chest and didn’t sound particularly alarmed, and recommended Mucinex, whcih makes it easier to cough it up, FWIW.