whats this constant need to clear my throat all about??? please help

Posted , 9 users are following.

Hi there not too sure where iam suppose to post but i hope someone can help me, im 20 years old and currently 28 wks pregnant, for the past week i have been experiencing the constant need to clear my throat/chest, sometimes theres no mucus to cough up and sonetimes tuere is, not sure if ive become over sensetive to my throat or what? I suffer a great deal from heartburn and possibly acid reflux due to stomach contents coming up in my throat, could this be from pregnamcy related issues or somthing more serious?please help thanks.

1 like, 22 replies

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  • Posted

    It çan be that the acid reflux that come up in the throat çan dritate the throat causing
  • Posted

    Hi ,as your pregnant I can only suggest that you see your GP or nurse practitioner ,as this could be something unrelated to this copd ,breathing page, I wish you well ,make that call to your GP ,
  • Posted

    maisiemarie,

    My first thought is sinus drainage. Allergies or a virus? Two natural approaches you might consider, since you are pregnant, are: 1) use a saline nasal spray as often as you wish and 2) gargle several times a day with warm salt water and then follow that with a teaspoon of honey.

    The saline mist with soothe your nasal passages and the best method by which to spray is to look down at the floor and insert the tip into your nose and point it outward, not straight up. Then do not sniff, just let the saline stay there.

    Warm salt gargle is useful because salt dehydrates any germs that might be living in your throat, thus killing them. The honey soothes.

    Just in case, you should report this problem to your doctor.

    Take care!

    💛 Dawn, USA

    • Posted

      I don't believe we should encourage anyone to ask for medical advice on this forum, which may result in them not seeking REAL medical diagnosis and treatment.

      Isn't this the place to share experiences rather than give medical advice?

    • Posted

      I did not give medical advice Jude. To gargle with salt water is hardly medical advice. It is sharing simple creature comforts that may or may not help, but would do no harm to try. I cannot help that I have a Bachelor Degree in Science and can add a bit more factual detail.

      Also did you not notice that I referred Maisiemarie to her doctor?

    • Posted

      I wasn't replying only to your post, but to the general tendency of some people diagnose and make recommendations to other posters with very little knowledge of the situation.   Of course gargling with salt water won't hurt, but it could mask something more serious:  I guess I feel that if someone is concerned enough about something to seek advice here they should be seeking it from someone qualified.
    • Posted

      Jude, I look at it differently. We share experiences and often obtain simple solutions, or at least some ideas to help us explore further with our doctors, to help formulate questions for the doctor that one might have never thought of without asking others in this forum.

      And the biggest most important part of this forum or all forums, is to no longer feel alone with our particular problems, to feel cared about and to receive encouragement.

      Jude, there is nothing wrong with that

    • Posted

      Fair enough, as long as we don't encourage prople to self diagnose and self medicate, which I don't believe is appropriate with serious conditions like COPD
    • Posted

      Well said ,reading about how others cope with problems is reassuring,& sometimes helpful,but yes of course our GP is the one we go to with our health problems,but on these pages we get to hear how other medications have helped others ,,and could help me/us,,,,,such as the lady who suggested the bottle of with some water in and a straw then blow bubbles into it ,,,,this works on the same principle as my flutter devise,,,anyway ,,,,,when we go to our GP we go armed with questions ,,,,like "Doctor would this be of any help to me "...

       

    • Posted

      I'm 63, and was diagnosed with copd 5 years ago, and I have received more reassurance, and learnt more about the progress of this horrid disease during the one short hour I've spent reading this forum, than I ever learned from my doctor or any other health professional. Thank you all so much. Suddenly, I don't feel so alone.

      There's much I still can't figure out, so I'm hoping I might get a few more answers here:

      My copd was diagnosed 5 years ago as 'mild', and I will admit that I was in denial for years .. I had absolutely no symptoms, no cough, no fatigue .. nothing. Walked a lot (fast!), ran up the stairs, never got tired, went to gym .. I actually thought I'd been mis-diagnosed, (and even carried on smoking, fool that I was).

      Then, just over a year ago, I caught a cold, along with a bit of bronchitis, and it took quite a while to clear up. So I stopped smoking. It cleared up, everything was fine .. and six months later, I decided (just out of interest) to go for another spirometer review thingy. Happily, it was a huge improvement on the previous one, and I was really chuffed! I was told that with regular exercise, a good diet, and the proper medication there was no reason why I shouldn't live a realitively long and healthy life. I thought I'd cracked it!

      Then, about a fortnight ago, I wasn't feeling well and developed a dry, hacking, sort of 'choking' cough ..I was in real trouble.

      Anyway, to cut a long story short, after two visits to the docs (blood oxygen levels great, no bronchial infection) another chest xray (still waiting for results) a referral to the local copd clinic (for which I was turned down .. not enough funding to treat 'mild' copd, apparently .. only 'late stage') and some very helpful 'counselling' on how to manage the anxiety of living with a chronic illness, I wasn't much further on. Still had this goddam awful cough. My poor lungs ached so much, and my chest was so raw, I was sure that one more serious bout would finish me off! It doesn't help that I panic like mad when I can't get me breath ..

      Thing is ..It's just the cough! No phlegm, no infection, no 'fatigue', nothing! I can cough solid for half an hour, attempting to 'bring something up' and the results might be one tiny speck of perfectly clear sputum. It was driving me nuts!

      I almost begged the doctor (and the Triage nurse) for a cough supressant .. even if only so I could get some sleep, but they refused .. kept reckoning I 'have to cough up all the gungy stuff'. That I don't HAVE any gungy stuff, seemed to go over their heads!

      So, this afternoon, in desperation, I typed 'hacking choking cough, no phlegm' into Google, and it returned hit after hit about this years seasonal flu. Seems it's one of the symptoms.

      Went straight to the chemist, bought a bottle of Bronco-stop (that new one thats advertised on the telly right now .. supposed to stop all kinds of coughs) and within an hour my coughing had calmed down and for the first time in days, I had blessed relief and now (for the moment at least) I feel fine.

      My questions are .. (a) has anyone else here had the same sort of non-productive 'chokey' cough, and (b) does anyone find that because they've been diagnosed with copd, that, AS A PATIENT they become defined by the disease? I mean, that the doctors just ASSUME it's the copd playing up (getting worse?) Is it possible I might simply have had a touch of flu?

      Personally (and I know every GP practice is different), my doctor has been been little help. I know General Practices are very stretched, but I always get the impression I'm wasting her time, and that she obviously thinks I'm one of 'The Worried Well'. I'm just fobbed off with more medication, and 'referrals'.

      I have copd. I KNOW, that the damage to my lungs is irreversible, and I know that for the rest of my life, I'll probably be more surceptable to lung problems than most people, but I want to learn how to MANAGE it, so that my QUALITY of life will be the best it can possible be. The thought of being confined to a wheelchair, with an oxygen mask glued to my face, is too depressing for me to even contemplate. I'd rather top meself, I think.

      Oh .. one more question: Does anyone have problems swallowing? Sometimes, I find it difficult .. food 'goes down the wrong way' and I start choking. I realise it might just be anxiety .. but I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who does.

      I seem to have been typing for hours. Such a relief to find this site.

      Thanks in advance for any replies.

      Jo

  • Posted

    Yes MaisieMarie123

    I believe the pregnancy and pressure beginning on your diaphragm and the acid reflux have alot to do with it for sure. You have to go get checked out to be sure. But yes....these can be symptoms from the pregnancy as well. Let us know.....

    Ladyjack51

  • Posted

    It could be allergy related? I get this from my allergy to outdoor ragweeds, and am constantly clearing my voice box, but usually have extremely rare little bit of mucus, but rarely. Please go to an Allergy Specialist or your doctor. Hoping this helped! :-)
  • Posted

    I suggest you go to see Chinese Medicine or see a good acupuncturist to help you.

     

    • Posted

      Acupuncture has no basis at all in science and in Australia many chinese herbal medicines have been found to contain highly unacceptable levels of mercury and lead.   Personally, I wouldn't be putting anything from China into my body:  we're currently experiencing an outbreak of Hep A caused by fecal matter in berries imported or packaged in China.   Needless to say, the Chinese regard Australia's "clean green" farming as desirable and import our berries which don't cause Hep A!
    • Posted

      Jude65855

      Come on Jude....I think you are being unreasonable and quite judgemental without a basis. In fact, I almost think you are looking for a debate forum instead of what we try to do here! Dawndee gives great advice and always encourages them to see their Dr.....as we all do. I think this forum does a great job of sharing what they have actually tried, what worked, and what didn't work and what more could you as for? It's beginning to sound like you have appointed yourself the critique patrol....and you are not. Your advice, as well as our advice comes from what we lived...I think you do well with what you tell folks too...up until lately. Please allow us the respect of sharing just as we do to you. There's nothing wrong with Dawndee ' s or anyone else's posts so far. Thanks for listening jude65855 and your respect from this point on. Ladyjack51

    • Posted

      I haven't appointed myself to anything!   Sorry if I sounded abrupt  or critical, I"ve recently had a lot of very silly people (in real life, not on this forum) give me totally ridiculous advice about my emphysema and related health matters, so I guess my patience for wishful thinking has been considerably depleted.  I'll try and find it again
    • Posted

      Aawww....now I feel kinda bad. Lol I appreciate you taking that so well and it says alot that you owned it. Hey, we all have bad days or bad moods. Let us know...maybe we can share a joke or two with you and get chu smilin!! Ladyjack51
    • Posted

      Don't feel bad - I'm grateful to you for pointing out how my posts came across!   I'm a big girl, I can take constructive criticism

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