Mucus plug

I know this post has been around for a while now and Im just finding it now, but it is a huge relief to know Im not alone in experiencing this! Ive had this consistently the past couple years where its exactly as you all here have described: a gross accumulation of snot/mucus in the back of my nose that doesnt loosen for at least a few hours, sometimes even days. I try to cough it out, clear my throat, blow my nose, etc and nothing works that well. I also saw an ENT and they diagnosed me with reflux, telling me to cut out high acidic foods. That helped a little bit but not enough, and Im still not convinced that reflux is the problem for me. Hot tea definitely helps, and occasionally a sinus rinse/sinus spray, but not as much as Id like it to work. It feels like Ive tried everything, and sometimes Im so frustrated and annoyed by it that I dont know what else to do about it other than accept it. But I want to believe that recovery from this is possible. To have found all these people who understand exactly the frustration is such a relief. Ive spent so many hours trying to find out what is going on, whether thats looking online or seeing doctors or trying different solutions. The one thing I havent tried yet it cutting out carbs, as someone suggested here. Im curious to try this out and see if I notice any improvements. I hope you all have found a solution by now. If anyone happens to see this post--how are you doing now with the mucus plug? Any help so far?

I have been following this thread for years! It made me feel better knowing other people out there have my same problem. I have all these symptoms too and have been meaning to create an account. Now tonight, I finally did and am actually so excited to comment.

I HAD A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH.

After 10 years of dislodging and snorting out “The Chunk” (thank you to whoever dubbed it that on this thread) and seeing many ENTs, I actually think I’ve found an official diagnosis online. My last ENT noticed a small indentation where the “mucus scab,” as he called it, was forming. He also mentioned that indentation as having something to do with brain formation before you’re born. I did some internet sleuthing and found it. NASOPHARYNGEAL BURSITIS. There are two types: cyst type (I think this is sometimes referred to as Thornwaldt’s cyst?) and crust type. I’m definitely the latter: according to the article (linked below), mucus crusts in this area at the back of the throat (technically it’s the throat behind your nasal cavity near your adenoids), accompanied by an occasional headache and unpleasant taste, finally falling off after which symptoms go away for a little bit until it comes back. That’s me. Patients also reported having an onset of symptoms not connected to any event after being fine previously in their lives. Me also.

Anyway, I hope you’ve stayed with me. It seems like this is very rare, which explains why doctor after doctor couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. The article showed promising results for those patients through some sort of minimally invasive procedure involving electrocauterization (Ick, I know, but if it cures me sign me up). I’m looking forward to talking about this with my doctors and getting some opinions, but for the first time I’m very hopeful I could have a solution, because up until now I’ve never even found an official diagnosis. I’m a little scared that it’s so rare that doctors won’t know how to treat it, but this is better than nothing. I will keep everyone updated! Hope ya’ll are doing well!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2990394/#!po=14.7059

well i never knew so many people suffered from this stuff chronically... ive never really had any 'chronic' issues persay, however, i have had what i assume a sinus infection now for about 2 weeks. Blowing thick sticky yelliw green snot. But this thing happened today that freaked me out! i felt like i had stringy mucus stuck at that dangly thing, like literally stuck to it and tried to 'hack' it out. But it was do thick and stringy it was making me gag! but when i did manage to get it out it git stuck in my throat like it was actually stuck to me somewhere in my throat and part if it stayed stuck on outside if my lip( i know, TMI, sorry guys) And i coukd feel something hard, like a hard chunk about the size of a kernel of corn, i looked at it and was shocked! It was covered in snot yes but there was literally a HARD CHUNK of something in the snot and mucus. Reddish brown mucus with a hard white chunk about the size of a small bean or corn kernel. Stringy goo that was literally stuck to me in the back of my throat somewhere. Made me gag trying to get it out of my throat because part of it somewhere was attached. Like I felt it tugging… it was so nasty yall... i have never seen, heard or experienced anything like it in my life! What was it?!?!

any updates from anyone here? for me, im still getting it 😕 ive tried seeing ENTs and they all say the same thing about reflux, then prescribe a medication for that which doesnt help much. im seeing a holistic doctor and she seemed to think it is allergy related. testing out to see if dairy products are the culprit. font really want to bot be able to eat things with dairy but if it makes this gosh darn mucus thing go away, its worth it to me. i still get it every day since going fairy free now (about 2 weeks now), but it has decreased in severity and its easier to get the mucus out. buuuut im still getting it so who knows whats really going on. im supposed to take an allergy test to see if i maybe have a food allergy. curious if anyone here has family member or maybe grew up with a food allergy like that? i know my dad and brothers had severe asthma. they couldnt eat dairy, chocolate, eggs without going into an asthma attack. thankfully they seem to have outgrown it. just wonder if it really could be due to food allergies.

i find that another big culprit is stress. the more stressed i am, the more i dwell on it and the worse it gets.

also sometimes i get freaked out that this mucus thing will obstruct my airflow from my nose or throat or something. does anyone else have that fear? its not like i feel that my throat is getting obstructed, i just worry that the phlegm could do that. wish there was something to qualm my worry about that!

i was also wondering if any of you have had tonsils or adenoids removed? this got a lot worse for me when i had my tonsils removed

I never had my tonsils removed

someone just told me that candida is linked to post nasal drip and mucus plugging. there's lots of links and pics online. It might be worth looking into.

i started seeing a holistic doctor a few months ago and described my symptoms. she said it sounds like an allergic reaction/immune response. i took an allergy test and it showed i actually had quite a few food sensitivities. they might vary for everyone, but so far i have had some success with limiting my consumption of my food sensitivities. worth looking into as well. i havent eliminated all of them from my diet yet, because of how many there are, but like i said, ive had some success so far with not getting so mich mucus and smaller, less frequent nasal mucus plugs.

Hi all,

Im not sure if anyone follows this discussion anymore ... but I want to post my latest findings in case it helps anyone here or someone who comes across this thread. It has only been about a week, but Im fairly confident I discovered lasting relief from getting this mucus scab.

My experience getting this build up of congestion is pretty much hand in hand with what everyone has been posting here: chronic post nasal drip and congestion in the throat. Eventually, the mucus would build up to form something that was nasty to try to get out 🤧 It would take days, even weeks, to get it to come out. I saw an ENT who thought I had something similar to GERD. He prescribed a PPI, which I never started taking. I was certain it wasnt GERD, as none of the dietary changes I made helped for long (mainly staying away from acidic foods). I kept praying and praying for an answer as the mucus was really bothering me.

Still looking for a true answer, I started seeing a holistic doctor who works nearby. I told her about my problem and she suggested I might have a food intolerance (I mentioned this briefly in some previous posts on here). She said a big culprit of congestion was dairy intolerance. She had me take dairy out of my diet completely--strictly for 3 months. She said that even if Im limiting my dairy intake, the immune system is going to be overacting until it is completely eliminated for at least a month. The immune system does a reset every month. So I had to be strict about consuming no dairy.

I started doing that and noticed a slight improvement. I was still getting the mucus, but not as much and not as frequently. I told her this and she had an allergy test done on me.

According to the allergy test, Im allergic to A LOT of things. Many of the common allergens and a few random things (including papaya?!). For the last 2 months, per her request, Ive had to completely cut out all of these allergens from my diet. I also started taking a supplement, L Glutathione, per her recommendation. Two months into this change, I noticed my congestion cut down to about half the amount i had at my worst. Another week in and I can say that I experience very little to no congestion most days. Granted, this is very early on, but I have hope that this is actually working and isnt just a quick/temporary fix. I feel great--relieved also--that Ive finally found something that works. Ive struggled with this for a while (4-5 years, to be exact), and Im beyond grateful to feel like my body is working for me 💕 As a disclaimer, im not a doctor. Please make sure to check any changes you make with your own doctor. I just wanted to share this anecdote because, like i said, i struggled with this for so long. i promised to myself that if i ever found a cure, i would share it in hopes to help others out. And im not saying this is a cure, but its the first time i felt like i have confidence in a possible cure. I hope this helps you, too, if youre reading this, and gives you something to talk with your doctor about. Or maybe you feel inspired to find a doctor that is compassionate to your experience and what youre going through!