Well it's been 4 months now coughing wheezing cracking chest and breathless...
Sputum test clear blood tests clear chest x Ray clear....!!! Totally confused...!! Had spirometer test borderline COPD or asthma??? Not my words the nurse.....!!!!!
Chest sounds like a motorcycle rattling..? Coughing up white mucus all the time....??? Now after all this time doctors are referring me to ear nose and throat specialist??? I am confused why that and not chest clinic...? π’
Me too but had it on and off for a few years now
Good news that your sputum and blood tests are clear and that your x-rays are too. I do hope you get some answers from the ENT specialist.
Thank u for ur reply I am just a little confused as to why an ENT specialist and not a chest or lung specialist?
Hello Dee,
The very fact that your other tests are clear narrows it down somewhat so try not to get too anxious.
Wishing you all the best for your upcoming test results. I hope you'll keep us posted.
Thank you Jennifer it's just frustrating I will keep you informed π
Has anybody suggested trying antihistamines? Might be worth asking.
No..?? Does that clear phlegm then...?? π
I have a lung condition and produce phlegm every day, but I do Active Cycle of Breathing technique (ACBT) which was taught to me by a physiotherapist each morning and at bedtime to cough it up and then I don't cough during the day. If I don't do ACBT at nighttime my lungs "rattle" and can't sleep.
You say "sputum test clear". My sputum when tested also shows "clear" meaning I do not need antbiotics. *
There is lots on the internet about Active Cycle of Breathing Technique (ACBT); this is a good site youtube.com/watch?v=XvorhwG...
I was taught by a physiotherapist to do it lying down on each side but it can be done sitting up.
You could buy a nebuliser which gives steam to loosen the mucus and make it easier to cough up.
Or you could put your head over a bowl of very hot water with a towel over your head to loosen the mucus which I used to do before I had my nebuliser. I also have a Flutter device which I bought which helps if the phlegm occasionally gets partiularly stuck (Look on the internet to explain what this is). There is also a device called an acapella which is similar.
* One last thing. My phlegm is white, but I have been told that if it goes yellow or green that may mean I have an infection and I should ask my doctor's receptionist for a little pot, cough in to it (in private!), and the doctor will send it to the local hospital for analysis to know which is the best antibiotic to fight it.
I am no expert but I have read there is a condition called post nasal drip which may be why you have been referred to the ear nose and throat specialist. Information on the internet, but here is a good webpage. webmd.com/allergies/postnas...
I hope this all helps.
Thank you so much for all your information I will check all this out yes my sputum test was clear but they still gave me steroids and antibiotics which today is the last of the course....... my phylem/mucus is white.....!!! π
I had the same problem, I have Bronchiectasis and asthma, but since September last year have been bubbling on my chest, breathless, all sputum tests came back clear and just as you say mine sounds like a motorbike rattling. In the end the respiratory nurses came to see me and have changed the way i breath, lying on the right side, take two small breaths, when you breath in push your stomach out and when you breath in pull your stomach in, then do 4 really big breaths and as you breath out really blow out until nothing is in you, do this four times, then turn over onto your other side and do the same thing again, after a while you will be able to free some of the phlegm on your chest by doing the huffing treatment, three medium breaths and one large one trying to dislodge the phelgm, mine is now staring to go, it does take time and i am a very impatient patient I like things to happen asap but of course that is not what happens, now January I am at last feeling as if there is hope, although I still have a lot of phlegm on my chest but at least I am managing to shift some of it, as my problem has always been that I have never been able to shift this and it has always stayed in my lungs. I hope this will help you.
Thank you so much for your comment... it's refreshing to know that someone else out there has had it long term like me..in the beginning I couldn't even lie down in my bed without coughing it really got me down so much I cried a lot I was so exhausted π© but I now can lye down and get rest which is a bonus....I will certainly try the breathing excersises thank you π
Telectasis and phlegm
unusual cough with phlegm, maybe itβs nothing?
Does anyone get dizzy when coughing up phlegm? 
intense pain on breathing in on one side of chest
Asthma advice/sharing your symptoms/peace of mind please. 
