Apart from not being very nice, is it harmful to swallow your sputum?

[Wiggins]

Normally I spit it in to a tissue or down the loo, I have on the odd occasion swallowed it. I'm staying at my mums and she's complaining that spitting in to a tissue all the time is filthy and tells me to swallow it.

[Hidden]

The odd bit won't matter but I personally prefer to use my hanky to dispose of it. If I'm at home I spit it into the sink. I don't think swallowing a lot of mucous is healthy.

I wonder if discreetly wiping your mouth with your hanky or a tissue instead of spitting would be more acceptable to your mum?

My Mum has a tonne of mucous in her lungs so at least she would never criticise me for not swallowing my mucous. I suppose your mum hasn't got the problem.

koala

[Wiggins in reply to Hidden]

No Koala she hasn't. None of my immediate family have. I have an aunt and uncle that have COPD but as far as I'm aware they don't produce much, at least my mum says they don't.

[Hidden]

Ewww I wouldn't want to swallow it Wiggins, I think into a tissue is better if you dispose of it down the loo afterward. Your Mum probably just doesn't like hearing or seeing you do it.

[dall05]

Better out than in, I say. Where does all the dam sputum come from anyway. I had 4 months in Hospital and they gave me control of my own vaccum tube. It was great for hoovering out any sputum that I coughed up with great sound effects, this proved a great way of clearing the ward at the end of visiting time. . memories eh'

I guess this helped my family get used to it by the time I returned home and now we tend to joke about it, after all there is very little we can do to stop it happening. A good walk outdoors can help clear your chest where there is nobody else to listen and criticise.

[Gordon57]

You can get little pots - ebay.co.uk/itm/251233077976 - tell mum these are issued by the surgery or something, she can't argue much then !

Or how about this...> ebay.co.uk/itm/230903455052

[Hidden]

It does no harm and gets digested by the stomach acid. I psycologically cannot spit/wipe mine out. Getting a sample from me is like getting blood from a stone!

[martin1945]

I agree with Always.....I did pose the same question to my Specialist and he said there is no harm in swallowing mucus as the digestive system would effective absorb it. Stay well. Martin

[Hidden]

Wiping Is All Very Good ... Its Just Those Pesky Mucus Plugs Balls End Up Chasing Them Round Your Face

But Yes I Know What Your Saying So I Go Toilet Or If Am Out Swallow Depends Where I Am

[Pepsicoley]

Hello Wiggins

I asked my friend who has just retired from nursing if swallowing phlegm/mucus was harmful. She has assured me that it is not. You will come to no harm swallowing.

If you do cough it up then depositing it in a tissue (don't spit) and flushing it down the lavatory is fine.

The best thing, I suppose, is to get rid of the mucus as discreetly as possible.

Best wishes

Annec

xxxxx

[dukes]

I wonder if the same applies to me? I have M.R.S.A. of the Sputum (picked up in hospital) as well as C.O.P.D and I'm never quite sure which is initiating the sputum !

[Hidden]

I read that you should spit it out as you are swallowing infected gunk and the less infection in your body the better.

[mommalou]

cough it up was in hosp 2yrs ago had chest infection kept swallowing it got septisemia doc sed poison from my chest infection had got in my blood stream and my major organs were shutting down so spit out

[Hannah24 in reply to mommalou]

How on earth did it get in your blood stream?

[jpscribbla]

Yes, when I was in hospital with pneumonia I was told to spit out sputum and taught the huffing method to cough it up ~ works really well! The reason for not swallowing it, as someone here has said, is so that you don't reingest the infection. However, if it's just everyday copd sputum, ie. not due to infection, there is no harm in swallowing it. Wouldn't want anyone to feel guilty about swallowing it, sometimes it can't be helped. If you're on a bus, or in a shopping queue or cafe or if you're driving, for example, who wants to hold it in their mouth until they get a chance to 'dispose' of it? Trust me, I've been there hehe. Keep smiling!