Mucus Cough Vs Porridge

[Riley'sLife]

My Thai mother-in-law has an atrocious deep chesty cough and first thing in the morning coughs her guts up, usually as I’m preparing breakfast (loverley!!!) and clears her throat in that inimitable Asian way before ejecting numerous buckets full of sputum (slight exaggeration!).

I’ve taken her for TB tests etc and seems it’s nothing more than a chronic cough. She has repeatedly taken prescribed medication several times but the cough always returns within a few days. She must be getting tired of the problem, I know I am getting bored with all the spitting. It puts me right off my porridge.

Anyone know of a good “final solution” ? (I mean medication not poison!)

[londonthai]

some foods, like bananas, eggs, are mucus inducing - cut them out from the diet.

often air conditioners are the source of bacteria - try to clean them or stop using them alltogether. Use fans and open the window to get some fresher air. Keep the house clean from dust and dry, to prevent grow of nasty things

[Samuian]

...as there is no diagnostic evidence of an infection/inflammation, it could very well be some self induced "coughing" - used to it - because the neighbor does it, he and her does it... in many communities in SEA it's very common thing of a "cleansing" procedure in the morning!

Could proov to be a real tsk to make her stop doing it....it's a nasty habit!

Ever been to a indian or chinese rural village?

[Riley'sLife]

I have no control over what the mother-in-law eats, which seems to be largely a huge bowl of rice with some strange food on top with shrimp paste usually. I tried it once but never again after spending the following 2 days in the hong naam pointing my mouth and my bum at the toilet alternately. I suspect it is some develish south Thai version of the dreaded Isaan Pla Ra. If white steamed rice is mucus forming... bingo! - but no chance of stopping her eating that.

They don't use aircon in their home, and mother-in-law doesn't "do" cleaning. We live in a typical Thai village in the deep south. No one cleans anything in these villages, they just move the muck around and burn stuff, except my wife and our home is spotless. Thanks for the advice londonthai.

My wife actually says the same as you Samuian, that her Mum just has this disgusting habit. But, something definately comes up every time she hawks, I can hear it hit the floor when she spits it out, and her chest sounds very wheezy. She doesn't do it every morning, but more often than not. I'm not convinced it is just a bad habit, and I'd like to get it sorted out properly. The old fella doesn't do it, it's just the old gal! Dirty Tart!

[bina]

allergies, and most thai country folks dont believe in them so there u go.... most people with allergies build up mucous during the night and cough it out in the a.m. ; if they cant get the stuff out, well, a good asthma attack, that...

medically speaking probably loratidine pills (a good antihistamine that seems to help many people i know with allergic cough) taken properly i.e. every day; or non steroidal or steroidal inhalors but u need a doc to give them, and u need a cooperative patient (one that complies with treatment everyday, no matter what)... not sure most elderly thai comply well with long term treatments. they start, the stuff goes away, they stop.

dont chinese drink hot water and hawk up phlegm in the a.m.?? or is that the stereotype??

bina

[Riley'sLife]

Thanks bina. Allergy.. you could be right. Maybe a dust allergy. Hence the constant re-occurrence even after taking cough meds. I'll try to get some antihistermine down her neck and see what happens.

[bina]

i think the thai docs do use lorastidine; loratidine, arius (dont have in front of me the pharmaceut. name) a daily pill that doesnt make u sleepy but u have to take it daily for it to be most effective. it also seems to help more or less on different people also takes some days to kick in full affect but i know they use it in thailand cause it saw it once on the net in an article on allergies in thai (gave to hubby to read about his asthma/allergies).thai seem to like the tiffy (chlortrimeton with sudaphed not sure thailand still has it? sudafed is hard to come by in some countries now; if she's old u should be careful some antihistamines cause real tiredness and u dont know how it works on elderly...

good luck......

bina

[seonai]

My TB went undetected for many months and has resulted in serious lung damage so maybe you would like to check it out

[ClaytonSeymour]

If you travel on a Chinese Airline, it's very common for the passengers to self induce coughing and use the sick bags for the contents of their chest/throat - disgusting.