My husband has excess mucous which causes him to cough all the time and he can’t ever really clear his throat which causes him to talk with a gurgle most times. The Neurologist has given him Atropine drops which helped initially but their affect has now worn off. The Neuro has now suggested Botox injections. Has anyone had success with these injections?
Thank you so much for this forum, it has been so helpful for us.
My husband found Metamucil to be good, but please check with his neurologist first in case it isnt right for your husband.
Tasha, my husband has the same problem and we are now using glycoperonium, which the hospice prescribed, but still not much improved, the physio suggested I put ice cold cloths on his neck, but I haven’t tried it yet, my husband has a peg, so is nil by mouth, which makes the mucus thicker and harder to clear sorry I can’t be more helpful Janet 🥰
Hi tasha1944!
These are our experiences about.
Hoping to be useful to you:
•Phlegm and choking: The first thing is to remain calm during episodes of truly shocking coughs. The second is that a physician rules out an infection in the respiratory tract. Get a pulse oximeter to control. (Fever is an indication usually either pneumonia or urinay tract infection (UTI) in PSP patients).
•It is not a big problem that the patient swallows his phlegm. For phlegm to be fluid, it is important to drink liquids. Ten minutes steam inhalation from boiling water in a bowl with a few drops of some floral essence (avoid mint plants and eucalyptus) that is pleasant to the patient, a small spoonful of marine salt and some pieces of lemon, with a towel covering head and bowl helps. (One to three times a day (*))
•Inhalation of the mentioned water steam together with abundant oral hydration are usually sufficient to improve the fluidity of phlegm.
•A steam atomizer to keep the air in the room moist helped, too. (40% - 52% moist advisable.)
• Medications like "Mucosan" (Ambroxol hydrochloride) or “Fluimicil Forte-600” (Acetilcisteine) can help in some cases. Ask physician.
(*) We have observed that a steam inhalation session immediately before dinner can reduce appetite. We are trying to give her dinner "before" the "steam inhalation" and the results were better.
•In case of choking, raise both arms at shoulder height, breathe only through the nose intensely if posible. If not, inhale air intensely but not very fast through the mouth. Retain air a couple of seconds and then force the cough.
•Also here, to avoid in the diet drinks that can be irritating helps: coffee, carbonated beverages as pop or soda (or eliminate the gas by agitation before giving it to the patient), chocolate, orange or grapefruit juice, etc..
Note.- It has been described that: pineapple juice breaks down the protein very well and fluidifies the mucus (phlegms). It will have to be tested if the patient tolerates pineapple juice without coughing or choking. (Red1990 indicates that: the pineapple juice enzyme complex is available as a supplement called Bromelain. For people taking anticoagulants, bromelain and melatonin have the same risks of gastrointestinal bleeding as aspirin).
There are some foods to avoid…. things like grapes, rice, couscous, lentils, peas etc anything small was problematic as were spicy foods. Foods that crumble easily, cookies, crackers, stringy foods, sticky foods, etc.
•There is a suction machine which helped a lot with the very sticky phlegm. We have NOT used it.
•A steam atomizer to keep the air in the room moist helped, too. (40% - 52% moist advisable.)
•The physiotherapists have exercises reinforcing trunk muscles to improve the cough response to choking. Engage a good speech/swallow therapist to learn swallowing techniques.
•Avoid dairy products, especially before bedtime, this seems to prevent the increase in phlegm viscosity.
•Raising around 15º a 35º (9” to 12”) the head of the bed also helps.
Hugs and luck.
Luis
Thank you Luis. I am also ha I g this problem with my husband. The hospital is giving him nothing by mouth. I feel I am be able to get him back to some thickened liquids and puréed foods if I can get him home safely. I first need to find a way for him to not need deep suctioning.
Hi Tasha, my husband has had Botox injected into his neck which isn’t a nice procedure. It works for about 3 months but wears off and needs to be done again . After the second one he refused to have it done again. We have been managing with suction machine and just cleaning his mouth with tissues regularly. We also found atropine drops stops working after a while. All the best.
Thank you - Botox sounds unpleasant, thickened grape juice didn’t work, so today I ordered a suction machine.
The suction machine my late husband used while in hospital helped a lot.Wish I had known of it sooner as he had the problem for a long time.
Did you suction through the mouth? On a regular basis, or just when he seemed to be having trouble?
Yes,through the mouth. It is much like what the dentist uses to suction your mouth.He suffered with excess saliva and mucus pretty constantly so he kept it in his hand or nearby and used it a lot.
Pure grape juice, thickened to required consistency is helpful in breaking down the thick mucous. Also as it becomes more problematic, a nebuliser is very helpful in helping to clear the mucous. It is a very difficult thing to watch them struggle so anything that they help is worth a try. 🥺
My mom received Botox injections every 4 months for years. It was an enormous help. Really the only thing that worked. Highly tecommend
Thank you - I am thinking anything is worth trying👍🏽
Dear Tasha, I am sorry to hear that your husband is suffering in this way. It is horrid for the person and the person who is caring as one feels useless. When Nigel was suffering in this way we were advised that he should drink Pineapple Juice [thickened if required] as it is acid enough to break through the mucus. I hope this will help you. Good luck. AliBee x
Tasha, On this forum we learned that Pineapple Juice can be very effective at breaking up mucus. My wife suffers the same coughing fits and throat clearing as your husband. Pineapple juice helps her a great deal, and she drinks 3 glasses a day now. Good luck, Dick
I’m so sorry. My husband had extreme drooling for many months. We finally used a suction machine and it helped tremendously. At first, he was able to use it himself, which made him feel like he had some control over it and lessened anxiety.
He has tried grape juice but it didn’t help. Maybe the nebuliser is next.
Tasha, I just posted a similar problem. My husband had to be hospitalized for the same problem. I am concerned he will struggle to breath and we will lose him quickly after we bring him home. His disease is degenerating and he has very little cough. Did the drops work for the phlegm? We’re there any side effects? Best of luck to you. I emphasize with your struggle. . Thanks for the post. It’s all awful.
The drops were very helpful for the first 12 months, but aren’t working so well now.
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