I should’ve been in bed hours ago. I can’t sleep, however, because I can’t stop clearing my throat. I can’t even lay down in my own bed because I’ll wake my wife up.
Lately, I’ve had the curse of needing to clear my throat every 5 to 10 seconds anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours after eating. It’s like there’s a tickle about halfway down my throat - as if it’s coated in mucus - so I cough or clear my throat to get it out and the next time I swallow it’s right back. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Go insane.
It’s wearing my throat out, driving me mad, and frankly it’s quite embarassing. Friends and family keep asking, “are you ok?” I can’t tell if they’re concerned, weirded out, or just plain annoyed.
For the record, I’m a non-smoker, and I have chronic acid reflux but I don’t believe this is related as I’ve had acid reflux nearly my whole life but this problem is less than 2 months old.
Interestingly, I had lunch with my brother 2 weeks ago and found out that he is having the exact same problem.
Post-nasal drip will cause this – our daughter gets on throat-clearing sprees when her allergies trigger post-nasal drip to make her feel like she needs to clear her throat about every four seconds.
You might want to try over-the-counter allergy sprays up your nose. For our daughter, a combination of montelukast by mouth daily, and Nasonex spray at night when allergy season really ramps up keep things mostly under control. Those are both prescription drugs, though.
Sometimes an over-the-counter decongestant and antihistamine can help with this problem, as well. I was having a problem with it late last summer and these were the solutions that helped me the most. I still have problems with it in the morning when all of my sinus drainage occurs.
And this is kinda gross, but go to a sink, clear your throat and spit it out. That helps because it doesn’t just get stuck down there again.
Please, please see a physician. While it can definitely be caused by sinus problems, it’s also a sign of throat cancer. IANAD, obviously, but I know that this is a symptom that you are urged to go get checked if it’s new to you. As with most problems, it’s highly likely that it’s not cancer but if (Og forbid) it is, treating it right away is crucial.
My 80-year-old mom had this problem for some years before somebody finally figured out that it was adult-onset asthma.
I didn’t say that to scare you. I just said it because there are many possible causes.
Do you have a deviated septum, per chance? This could also be a culprit.
Not that I know of, but snoring and sleep apnea run in my family, and no cause has ever been determined. I’ve had sinus problems my whole life, so this might be something I need to look into. I don’t, however, believe it is related to my current throat-clearing issue. It feels very distinctly like my throat is coated with mucus about halfway down, and it’s impossible to get it to come up or go down. It will jiggle around a little bit but won’t go away.
That’s what people keep saying but I don’t understand the connection. They’re two very different and distinct feelings. It’s not heartburn - it’s a coating inside my throat.
This is weird, because I was actually going to post about this this week. I have the same thing and it only happens when I lay down to go to bed. This has been going on for about 10 years (more?), so I’m not worried it some exotic disease or cancer or anything. Allergies sound about right, though, because when I take the occasional Sudafed (if it’s really annoying me), it clears right up.
I agree that it could be GERD and that you should probably see your doctor.
That said, I have an itch that occurs in the same spot near my right tonsil. My doctor said that sometimes people will have a little dent or pocket in their side of their throat that bacteria likes to grow in. Usually, there’s no problem at all but sometimes the bacteria can irritate the lining. I learned several years ago that something minty will calm down my need to cough every minute or two. Chewing peppermint gum helps a lot and I’ve even used a bit of mint toothpaste, with good results, sloshed about as near to the spot as I can get it.
But the best thing I’ve found for nighttime is Cloraseptic Spray or its store brand equivalent. The cherry flavor doesn’t seem to work as well, so again, go with the mint. It has something in it that will numb the area too. When my itch was bad, I used to keep a bottle of it near my bed. A couple of squirts and I was able to sleep most of the night without another application.
I don’t know if this would do you any good with your tickle–if it’s the same thing as what I had–being farther down the throat but it might be worth a try. But also, *please *see your doctor!
I can’t see a doctor. I don’t have insurance right now and the last time I went to the doctor without insurance it cost me $900 for them to tell me they didn’t know what was wrong and it ended up wrecking my credit because I couldn’t afford to pay it quickly enough.
EDIT: And I don’t know what kind of doctors you guys go to, but if I went to any doctor I’ve ever seen and told him I couldn’t stop clearing my throat - well, first, I wouldn’t even be able to see a doctor with that complaint these days. They’d give me a nurse practitioner. She would take about 15 seconds of her time to tell me it was GERD (or whatever the most common diagnosis is) and to chew some Tums and stay out of her face. This would cost outrageous amounts of money, of course.
OK, I fully understand what it’s like not having insurance and needing to see a doctor. Been there, done that, didn’t get the T-shirt because I couldn’t afford to buy it. Is it possible that you could visit a low-income or sliding scale clinic in your area? I know some of them are not that great and the people there are too overworked to really care about you, but don’t rule them out. You could get lucky and find a gem of a clinic like I did, where they know they’re dealing with human beings, regardless of their flaws and financial situations. (If you’re in Seattle, check out Pike Market Clinic. They’re the best!)
Don’t go knocking nurse practitioners, by the way. The best “doctor” I ever had was one. She worked at the above clinic and when I was in her examining room, she always took her time to listen to me and to help me get better, mentally and physically. She was there through the worst years of my depression and she and one of the clinic’s counselors are big reasons I’m here today.
Anyway, enough of that. I don’t mean to be lecturing. Just one more suggestion though. Maybe you could see about getting medical coupons through your state? You might make too much money for welfare and food stamps but maybe it’s possible you still might be eligible for medical assistance. Or state sponsored insurance if they have something cheap. It’s something to think about anyway.
Dunno… the chewing sort of distracted me, and the swallowing sort of negated the need to cough, and by the time the piece had lost its flavor the attack had passed.
