"Stuff" getting stuck-coughing it out

[im so blessed]

Every ent visit my dr and i "fight" about this. I tell him i get so short of breath and cough until i feel i will faint...then something comes out and i breath normally. He says that nothing is stuck in there, its just a sensation im getting. So this is sooo gross but i have looked at what is coming out and it honestly looks like a very big dry crusty peice of mucus. So im wondering ur experience with this. Where exactly is it getting stuck? Arent there any sprays that help? I go to ent monday and want to discuss this...i just wanted to hear from ppl who have been down this road. Previously, ive not had sinus issues. I do have a stenosis and that is when these symptoms started. Thanks all :)

[drz]

I think Wegs causes coughing that is both productive where something gets coughed up and non productive coughing where nothing much happens except exhaustion. I think both come from post nasal drip with mucus dripping down the back of our throat. Sometimes it collects enough in one spot to get coughed up. This often seems to happen to me with bronchitis. Other times it just irritates and tickles my throat enough to cause coughing, some times to point of exhaustion.

I believe excess mucus and coughing is probably one of the most common symptoms we share with having Wegs since most of seems to have damage to the sinuses which causes the excess mucus although some people may not have it. I seem to have the coughing frequently but not most of the time.

Frequent nasal rinses and having adequate humidity help reduce the problem. Inhaling steam can also help during the worst times along with using generic Mucinex and drinking something warm with honey to help sooth the throat to reduce coughing.

[annekat]

This reminds me of me, and I have the same problem of conveying it to my doc. It never happens when I'm in his office. If you are coughing a bit of something up, then your doc is wrong that it is just a sensation you are having. My doc at least agrees it is probably mucus in there, but he never gets to hear how bad it sounds and how violent it can get. For me, it is not a crusty bit, it is just a small glob of regular mucus, but like you, I get relief and can breathe fine once it's coughed up. Drz is right that Mucinex (guaifenesin, from a tree bark) helps as a mucus thinner and expectorant. I would advise further that the liquid guaifenesin, sold as expectorant or 'tussin', and not the DM version, helps even better than the Mucinex pills. It loosens things up faster and makes coughs more productive. True also about inhaling steam, as in hot water in a bowl with salt or herbs like peppermint or eucalyptus added. I'm not sure, but I think plain water might be harsh. Good luck and I hope your ENT can shed further light on this problem.

[vdub]

Every evening from about 6 to 9, I get a build-up of something just below or at where my trechea connects to my throat. It is just low enough so I can't easily cough it out. Eventually, it does loosen and come out, but its a bit annoying. I suspect it is wegs related, but who knows. The ent has scope my throat and canned see any reason for it. I just put up with it as I do most the other ailments.

[annekat]

Every evening from about 6 to 9, I get a build-up of something just below or at where my trechea connects to my throat. It is just low enough so I can't easily cough it out. Eventually, it does loosen and come out, but its a bit annoying. I suspect it is wegs related, but who knows. The ent has scope my throat and canned see any reason for it. I just put up with it as I do most the other ailments. The same thing happens to me, vdub, and since it is now 8:22 PM, it is happening now. It can happen during the day when out in cold weather, or first thing in the morning after stuff has collected in there overnight. But if I go a whole day without any coughing to speak of, then it will happen just like you say, between 6 and 9 PM. I do think it is Wegs related. There are too many people on here reporting this sort of thing for it not to be, it seems to me.

[im so blessed]

Thanks all! I will try those things. And i will talk to ent-again:)

[Alysia]

I have wild coughing every morning but with no productions.
my sweet Phil had it. too many days. he told me about a feeling that something is stuck and is making him short of breath. he was coughing and nebulizing for hours (combivent and saline) until it was out. when he felt it stuck his sats were lower (he had oximeter at home to check). after it was out he was exhausted and even more short of breath for couple of minutes and then he was breathing much better then before. it was heart breaking to witness his struggle to breath. at least now he is free from it...
he showed me what was out: surprisingly big, sometimes green, yellow, white, pretty hard. size of a penny. sometimes with strips of blood on it. he told me that it can come from couple of places: stuff from the nose (post nasal drip), from the trachea, and also from the lungs. he explained to me that it is not getting out easily, also because of his bronchial stenosis and bronchiachtesis. he felt were it was coming from. from the lungs it was harder to cough out and took longer. when he was flaring or having lung infection it was worse. when he was on antibiotics, it was better.
I think that it is an issue not only for ENT, especially if he thinks that its just a sensation. you better ask also a lung doc.
btw, having oximeter at home is a good thing.

[blu4runner]

I experience the same issue back in 2012 and unfortunately it got to the point where it blocked my airway. I had an emergency tracheostomy to resolve the issue and still have the trach today. The dr is telling me the stenosis is too bad to remove the trach. They made my diagnosis by scoping up my nose and down to my throat. Keep persistent with you dr.