6 weeks of mucus after minor cold?

[ChomDo]

Hi,

Not sure if anyone can advise me with this issues but it's starting to be really annoying. So after Covid last year I had 2 months of slimy cough, eventho being sick with fever lasted only 3 days. The slime persisted and was worse in the mornings and after meals. 

 

Now I got a minor cold about 2 months ago and had a sore throat for 2-3 days and a runny nose (no fever or anything much). I had to cough out mucus for about 6 weeks after and still now I feel extremely slimy in the morning and after meals - just like after covid eventho this was a very quick few day "cold" (unless it was covid because I didn't test but these were clearly cold symptoms).

 

I have tried everything from tables the gave from the pharmacy to reduce mucus to Cystaline (acetylcysteine) for 2 weeks in a row and it didn't help a bit. 

The first time this happened was in 2020 when I had a bad influenza and had a bacterial infection after with thick green mucus. The two times after this (covid and now) mucus is clear so I didn't think it needed checking or antibiotics. Before the influenza I didn't even have a cold for 10 years so maybe that triggered something that I still suffer from.

Any advice what I could try? Maybe @Sheryl would know? 

Thanks!
 

[Sheryl]

You might try an antihistamine.

 

Allergy or air pollution are two possible culprits. Following a respiratory infection your air passages are more susceptible to irritation from either. 

[fredwiggy]

Many people get Covid and suffer symptoms of long Covid long afterward, as it seems I have. I've had it at least once, and I'm thinking three times. I got the same symptoms all three times as the one time I was found positive. Sore throat, cough, and the last time, runny nose and congestion, which are said to be the symptoms of the Arcturus strain. I have seasonal allergies so I wouldn't know if this was different were it not the cough and sore throat, which allergies never gave me. They're still finding out how some suffer symptoms awhile after having it, so the only way you'll ever know is testing.

[ChomDo]

48 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

You might try an antihistamine.

 

Allergy or air pollution are two possible culprits. Following a respiratory infection your air passages are more susceptible to irritation from either. 

Thanks! It seems like a tendency for me tho as I often have mucus throughout the year specially after food (fatty food is the worst), but having 6-8 weeks of mucus coming up after a mild cold (if that's what it was) is not normal right.

I'm just wondering if there's anything more to be done or checked to reduce this. I haven't seen a doctor about it – only in 2020 when I had this same thing after influenza but that time with bacteria. 

Before I never had colds or flus really but now I really worry about getting them if it always means 2 months of coughing slime after. 

Do you think it's worth it to go to see a doctor about it or there's really nothing they can do to help?

[ChomDo]

38 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Many people get Covid and suffer symptoms of long Covid long afterward, as it seems I have. I've had it at least once, and I'm thinking three times. I got the same symptoms all three times as the one time I was found positive. Sore throat, cough, and the last time, runny nose and congestion, which are said to be the symptoms of the Arcturus strain. I have seasonal allergies so I wouldn't know if this was different were it not the cough and sore throat, which allergies never gave me. They're still finding out how some suffer symptoms awhile after having it, so the only way you'll ever know is testing.

Well I was in Ko Samui where it seemed like everyone was counghing. Started with sore throat for a couple of days and then runny nose and sneezing. After all that was gone I developed this slime throat that's no lasted for over 6 weeks. To me those symptoms were classic for a cold eventho I hardly ever have colds.

I'm just bored of this mucus and want to find a way to get rid of it. Strange that NAC (Cystaline) does not do anything to help.

[fredwiggy]

4 minutes ago, ChomDo said:

Well I was in Ko Samui where it seemed like everyone was counghing. Started with sore throat for a couple of days and then runny nose and sneezing. After all that was gone I developed this slime throat that's no lasted for over 6 weeks. To me those symptoms were classic for a cold eventho I hardly ever have colds.

I'm just bored of this mucus and want to find a way to get rid of it. Strange that NAC (Cystaline) does not do anything to help.

It could be allergies, but you said you haven't had this until this Covid time, and you, like myself, rarely get colds. That's a reason I felt it was Covid all three times with me. With you, especially after you said you get a slimy feeling after certain foods., this could be a food allergy, something that's not easy to pinpoint unless you go through the process of elimination, try and remember what triggers it, or see a specialist.  Without checking with a doctor about allergies, all you could do is try allergy medicine, available OTC here, and gargle daily with warm salt water, along with making sure you drink a lot of water, to help break up the congestion. It's hard to tell if this is long Covid because they still don't understand it that well.

[n00dle]

I have a history of upper respiratory infections dropping into my chest. After a short bout with COVID last year i actually developed pneumonia. It took weeks to settle in and i was left breathless. 

Without testing, some asshat of a doctor decided that because i had once smoked, I had advanced COPD. I continued suffering for over a month and taking expensive COPD meds before seeking out a COPD specialist.

 

That specialist  took one look at me said i hqd pneumonia and cleared it up in a week  with a course of anti biotocs.

go see a good doctor, it is not worth messing around with this. 

[ChomDo]

53 minutes ago, n00dle said:

I have a history of upper respiratory infections dropping into my chest. After a short bout with COVID last year i actually developed pneumonia. It took weeks to settle in and i was left breathless. 

Without testing, some asshat of a doctor decided that because i had once smoked, I had advanced COPD. I continued suffering for over a month and taking expensive COPD meds before seeking out a COPD specialist.

 

That specialist  took one look at me said i hqd pneumonia and cleared it up in a week  with a course of anti biotocs.

go see a good doctor, it is not worth messing around with this. 

That's interesting. Glad to hear you got it sorted. You mean people could have pneumonia for months without any other symptoms than clear mucus in the mornings and after food? I doubt that but it is really hard to understand why I develop this ever since that influenza. Or maybe I would have had it before too but can't recall having a cold or a flu between 2010-2020 so I have no idea how I react.

[simon43]

In another thread, I detailed my 21 year history of lung problems, which include copious amounts of lung, throat and nasal mucus.

 

The consensus (after numerous doctors found no underlying illness), was that these symptoms were due to an as yet unidentified allergy.  For the past week I have been taking anti-histamine, which may be having a positive effect.

 

But for the past couple of days, I have been trying a very simple medication >> gargling several times a day with salt water and snorting salt water up my nostrils.

 

It's too early to say if this is the wonder cure, but since I started gargling with salt water the mucus in my throat has all but disappeared and I'm no longer coughing like an old 200/day smoker in my efforts to bring up the thick mucus.

 

I suggest you try this very simple (and cheap) treatment and see if if is of benefit to you.

 

 

[ChomDo]

38 minutes ago, simon43 said:

In another thread, I detailed my 21 year history of lung problems, which include copious amounts of lung, throat and nasal mucus.

 

The consensus (after numerous doctors found no underlying illness), was that these symptoms were due to an as yet unidentified allergy.  For the past week I have been taking anti-histamine, which may be having a positive effect.

 

But for the past couple of days, I have been trying a very simple medication >> gargling several times a day with salt water and snorting salt water up my nostrils.

 

It's too early to say if this is the wonder cure, but since I started gargling with salt water the mucus in my throat has all but disappeared and I'm no longer coughing like an old 200/day smoker in my efforts to bring up the thick mucus.

 

I suggest you try this very simple (and cheap) treatment and see if if is of benefit to you.

 

 

Thanks for the tips. I will for sure try this and the antihistamine like Sheryl also advised. Not sure if this is also something genetic as my father makes rough sounds all day long trying to release mucus. Now I'm just like him and it must be disturbing for people around me. For me it's mainly after being sick but can last for 2 months.

My main concern here was that if there could be something causing this that I need to treat. Like a long bacterial infection after one of the flu's I've had in the past 3 years. I just always hear that there's no need to do anything if the mucus is clear.

[connda]

You should probably get the Pfizer Covid bivalent booster shots to stay safe.  Maybe that will clear up the mucus! 

[connda]

4 hours ago, ChomDo said:

I have tried everything from tables the gave from the pharmacy to reduce mucus to Cystaline (acetylcysteine) for 2 weeks in a row and it didn't help a bit. 

N-acetylcysteine will make thick mucus thinner and easier to cough up/blow out, but at the correct dosages.  The acetylcysteine sold in the pharmacies is rather low dosage (200mg).  I have sinus issues during the Hot-Season burning and take 1000 mg of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) that I buy from iHerb at night as well as antihistamines (which also help with insomnia).  That amount of NAC does help me personally.  Your mileage my vary.

Look up N-acetylcysteine (NAC) online for the various dosages.  It's not a cure, but it will help with the symptoms.

[Wobblybob]

I too have had about 5 or 6 weeks of this coughing or trying to cough up this mucus. But strangely I always slept ok but when I awoke the running nose was almost immediate and to compound the issue I struggled to breathe. The chemist gave me Muclear tablets which did make it easier to breathe, they also gave me some Clarityne tablets which I found made very little difference. 

Did the obligatory COVID test a few times and all proved negative.

[riclag]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

In another thread, I detailed my 21 year history of lung problems, which include copious amounts of lung, throat and nasal mucus.

 

The consensus (after numerous doctors found no underlying illness), was that these symptoms were due to an as yet unidentified allergy.  For the past week I have been taking anti-histamine, which may be having a positive effect.

 

But for the past couple of days, I have been trying a very simple medication >> gargling several times a day with salt water and snorting salt water up my nostrils.

 

It's too early to say if this is the wonder cure, but since I started gargling with salt water the mucus in my throat has all but disappeared and I'm no longer coughing like an old 200/day smoker in my efforts to bring up the thick mucus.

 

I suggest you try this very simple (and cheap) treatment and see if if is of benefit to you.

 

 

I have use this saline solution gargle and snort in the past ! ???? imop

[Lacessit]

There is one exercise a physiotherapist taught me, after I had a bout of bronchitis many years ago.

Get on all fours, then incline the torso so the head is lower than the hips, with the back arched downwards. Then start coughing.

It may not work for everyone, it was successful for me.

[Sheryl]

4 hours ago, ChomDo said:

Thanks! It seems like a tendency for me tho as I often have mucus throughout the year specially after food (fatty food is the worst), but having 6-8 weeks of mucus coming up after a mild cold (if that's what it was) is not normal right.

I'm just wondering if there's anything more to be done or checked to reduce this. I haven't seen a doctor about it – only in 2020 when I had this same thing after influenza but that time with bacteria. 

Before I never had colds or flus really but now I really worry about getting them if it always means 2 months of coughing slime after. 

Do you think it's worth it to go to see a doctor about it or there's really nothing they can do to help?

 

Wouldn't hurt to see a pulmonologist just to make sure there is no undiagnosed lung disease. Where in Thailand are you?

 

By the way this recent cold you had, may also have been COVID. Did you take a COVID test? Newer variants, especially in people with prior immunity, often seem just like colds

 

[PPMMUU]

Experiencing a cough that persists for six weeks is indeed a significant duration. It would be wise to consider visiting a doctor for further evaluation. In the meantime, you could try using an antihistamine to see if it provides relief. If your cough shows noticeable improvement within a few days, it might not be a cause for major concern. 

[ChomDo]

On 5/19/2023 at 4:15 PM, Sheryl said:

 

Wouldn't hurt to see a pulmonologist just to make sure there is no undiagnosed lung disease. Where in Thailand are you?

 

By the way this recent cold you had, may also have been COVID. Did you take a COVID test? Newer variants, especially in people with prior immunity, often seem just like colds

 

Thanks Sheryl. What I got in Samui definitely felt very minor but seemed like everyone was coughing there. Like I said, I hardly ever have colds or anything like it. In the past 10-15 years all I had was one Influenza in 2020 which was bad and covid in Sep 2022. Both of these gave me 2 months of coughing out mucus. I think it all started with the bad Flu in 2020 followed by a bacterial infection etc. Before that I never recall having this issue – tho it's hard to say because I don't recall being sick between 2010-2020. 

I guess what I got in Samui could have been another Covid but it started with a sore throat and allergy like symptoms so I didn't test. My c19 last Sep started with dry cough and fever, just like the flu. 

Anyway, now I don't really have mucus anymore – only the basic slimy feeling after greasy foods but that I've always had and my father has too. What I had after this "minor cold" in Samui was not really a cough but just mucus that I had to force out by coughing. Perhaps it was another covid then, since it seems very odd why I would have to release slime for 6 weeks after something that felt so minor. 

To your question, I live in BKK and just about to go back to Europe for the summer as I always do. Can mucus release like this signal a lung problem? My father has been having this for decades (he's hardly ever sick but I mean just general sliminess in the throat) so I just thought it runs in the family and if we do get a flu or cold it amplifies like this. We both have very healthy lifestyles.

[ChomDo]

On 5/19/2023 at 9:03 PM, PPMMUU said:

Experiencing a cough that persists for six weeks is indeed a significant duration. It would be wise to consider visiting a doctor for further evaluation. In the meantime, you could try using an antihistamine to see if it provides relief. If your cough shows noticeable improvement within a few days, it might not be a cause for major concern. 

Maybe my way of explaining it was confusing but this time it wasn't really a cough but just mucus in the morning and after every meal. I had to get it out by forcefully coughing. Now it's gone but yes it took 6 weeks even after this few day "cold" (or that's what I thought it was).

After influenza in 2020 I had a more serious cough/mucus for more than 6 weeks and that time it was a bacterial infection after the flu with greenish or brownish thick mucus. Doctor said it was very typical after the flu. And after my covid last Sep I had exactly the same but with clear mucus. That lasted nearly 2 months. At the time I questioned it and got a lot of feedback from others experiencing exactly the same. Not that common tho since about 20 friends I asked didn't have that effect after covid.

Now I don't have any more mucus or cough so it stopped by itself after about 6 weeks so I don't think I'll need to experiment with the antihistamine at this point. I still have slimy throat after certain foods but I've had that for years.

What I would like to know if this is really uncommon? I just felt some people have tendency for this mucus buildup but I really don't know much about these things since I can't even recall having a cold between 2010-2020. My fiends back home have 1-5 per year.

[monty1412]

Keep on with the NAC ( 600mg/day) but add Glycine.. this helps your body make glutathione which is the king/ queen of antioxidants .

I also use Fistein ( natural extract  from fruit) to help clear congestion... 200mg at night... like some of the others here I suffer from frequent lung infections and just use Augmentin when that happens . The Fisetin really clears up the airways ....  google it and read up about it... easy to get in TH as well

 

[ChomDo]

22 minutes ago, monty1412 said:

Keep on with the NAC ( 600mg/day) but add Glycine.. this helps your body make glutathione which is the king/ queen of antioxidants .

I also use Fistein ( natural extract  from fruit) to help clear congestion... 200mg at night... like some of the others here I suffer from frequent lung infections and just use Augmentin when that happens . The Fisetin really clears up the airways ....  google it and read up about it... easy to get in TH as well

 

Thanks for the tips. I haven't been taking anything for a few weeks now as it's pretty much gone but I am nervous about the next time already. I think if the mucus is cleared now I will let it be and next time I have some respiratory infection I will go to see a doctor if the mucus follows for weeks on end like the past 3 times. 

Of course this general slimy feeling I have after eating would be nice to sort out too but if my father has had it for decades, it's probably not something I can do much about. As I mentioned I eat healthy and am fit and all so the only think I can see helping is to cut out any oily foods but that's not easy. Probably the worst of all is fresh extra virgin olive oil which in every other sense is supposed to be so healthy for you. It's just the oil in general that is a big problem in my throat. Dairy products are pretty bad too.

[Digitalbanana]

On 5/19/2023 at 12:41 PM, simon43 said:

But for the past couple of days, I have been trying a very simple medication >> gargling several times a day with salt water and snorting salt water up my nostrils.

This worked for me too after recent Covid and a long period of mucus in my nose like I haven't known before. Salt water washing of my nostrils seemed to clear things up in a day or two.

[4MyEgo]

56 minutes ago, ChomDo said:

I haven't been taking anything for a few weeks now as it's pretty much gone but I am nervous about the next time already. I think if the mucus is cleared now I will let it be and next time I have some respiratory infection I will go to see a doctor if the mucus follows for weeks on end like the past 3 times. 

It sounds to me (not a Dr) that you may have been exposed to mold somewhere in Koh Samui, this happened to me a few years back and then I developed a chest infection.

 

Saw a Dr at private hospital, chest and nasal x-ray, sent me to the specialist across from his room. The specialist gave me meds, steroids puffer and everything else in her arsenal.

 

Prior to going to the private hospital, I went to see a Dr at a clinic (antibiotics prescribed), back a week later, different (antibiotics pescribed), back a week later because it was getting worse, that Dr sent me off to the public hospital for x-ray and some oxygen and then to see the specialist the next morning at the public hospital as it was night time.

 

All were saying I was getting over the flu, that is why I had the mucus, i.e. they were saying that is why I was clearing the left overs from the flu out.  What an absolute disaster and prolonged suffering by me for 3 + weeks.

 

The Specialist at the private knew straight away what I had, exposure to mold  due to a narrow (inflammed) windpipe, and a chest infection due to the wheezing. I then realised that I had a black mold patch above where I sat in my office at home, which was there from a previous roof leak about 6 months prior that, I didn't clean off the mold patch after fixing the leak as it grew months later.

 

From Google:

 

Another one of the most immediate symptoms of a mold allergy is a dry and scratchy throat, prompting a nagging cough. In some cases, mold can cause heavier coughs as well. Mucus and histamine production can lead to persistent coughing as your body tries to clear the throat of mucus buildup.

[h90]

37 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

It sounds to me (not a Dr) that you may have been exposed to mold somewhere in Koh Samui, this happened to me a few years back and then I developed a chest infection.

 

Saw a Dr at private hospital, chest and nasal x-ray, sent me to the specialist across from his room. The specialist gave me meds, steroids puffer and everything else in her arsenal.

 

Prior to going to the private hospital, I went to see a Dr at a clinic (antibiotics prescribed), back a week later, different (antibiotics pescribed), back a week later because it was getting worse, that Dr sent me off to the public hospital for x-ray and some oxygen and then to see the specialist the next morning at the public hospital as it was night time.

 

All were saying I was getting over the flu, that is why I had the mucus, i.e. they were saying that is why I was clearing the left overs from the flu out.  What an absolute disaster and prolonged suffering by me for 3 + weeks.

 

The Specialist at the private knew straight away what I had, exposure to mold  due to a narrow (inflammed) windpipe, and a chest infection due to the wheezing. I then realised that I had a black mold patch above where I sat in my office at home, which was there from a previous roof leak about 6 months prior that, I didn't clean off the mold patch after fixing the leak as it grew months later.

 

From Google:

 

Another one of the most immediate symptoms of a mold allergy is a dry and scratchy throat, prompting a nagging cough. In some cases, mold can cause heavier coughs as well. Mucus and histamine production can lead to persistent coughing as your body tries to clear the throat of mucus buildup.

To add: mold can be everywhere in Thailand if the house and furniture is older...recently I pulled on a gap of some old furniture...it broke apart...the complete particleboard was blueish-greenish-partially black mold and I was standing in a cloud of it. (My body doesn't care, but my wife get some reaction allergic maybe).
What I want to tell is: Someone could have a mold problem without knowing/seeing the mold.

[simon43]

An update on the state of my lungs and the copious amounts of thick phlegm that I was coughing up (or attempting to cough up).

 

Quick recap - I have suffered from what seems to be some sort of lung allergy for about 22 years, in that no lung disease has ever been identified and my lung health remains fairly constant unless exposed to colder climates, which is what happened earlier this year when I had to return to the UK for prostate cancer investigations for 3 months.

 

The bronchitus and thick mucus in my lungs almost made me cancel the cancer investigations and return to Thailand, but I managed to stay for 3 months and I was given the all-clear for prostate cancer.

 

On returning to Thailand, I continued to suffer from coughing, bronchitus and excess phlegm/mucus.  In earlier posts in the thread, several medications were advised by forum members (thanks).

 

Anyway, I started off with the following:
- cough lozenges
- Tiger brown mixture
- Mucus thinner tablets
- Anti-histamine tablets
- Honey drinks
- Gargling with salt water
- Daily 4km fast walks.

As my health slowly improved, I eliminated some of these medications until I'm at the current condition where I no longer have bronchitus, cough very little, and have phlegm that is thin enough to cough up.  I feel much better although the underlying lung allergy is still present.

 

I've found that in order to maintain my lung health I do need the following:

- Mucus thinner tablets
- Anti-histamine tablets
- Gargling with salt
- Daily 4km fast walks.

Without anti-histamine tablets my nose gets stuffed up.  Without the mucus thinner tablets I can't cough up the thick phlegm. Gargling with salt water several times a day really does make a positive difference to my lung health.  Without daily long fast walks my lungs quickly fill up with mucus...

 

So I'm happy with the outcome (no lung allergy would be even nicer, but my current lung health is not a negative and doesn't affect my daily activities).

 

Hope this helps others who suffer from excess phlegm etc.