Trouble with mucus

[ladydog255]

My husband John was diagnosed in Aug 2019 with PSP, complete with the hummingbird. We believe he has been showing the symptoms since 2016, when he began to fall frequently. Since then he has had sometimes sever headaches, and the only way he handles them is to sleep which he often does 20 hours a day. the last few nights he has complained that he has had trouble with mucus coming up into his throat, and then having trouble swallowing it. is this normal?

[KatherineParr]

My husband found Mucinex to be very effective. I don’t know if it is the same name overseas but in New Zealand it can be bought in pharmacies and supermarkets. If it is available here it should be available everywhere.

[youliftmeup]

Apparently it is what happens. My husband the same and he says he is drowning. Often makes him sick too

[LuisRodicioRodicio]

Hi laydog255

These are our experiences about hoping to be useful:

• 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, for now, the results are 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 yet.

• 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

[Purrlie]

My husband started to have a lot of excess saliva and thick, clear phlegm, and as his swallowing reflex was severely affected, it was difficult for him to either swallow it down or cough it up. For some reason it did not seem to be an issue when he was sleeping. During the day we found that when he felt there was a lot accumulating he could more easily bring it up and spit it or cough it out if he rinsed his mouth out repeatedly with really cold water or with pineapple juice. (Because swallowing was a real issue, my husband could not drink the pineapple juice, but we figured a little bit would seep down his throat when he was rinsing out his mouth and be helpful, as Luis suggests. If your husband is able to swallow the juice it is definitely worth trying to see if it breaks up the mucus.) It could take several minutes of rinsing and spitting to clear out what was bothering him at the time. We also had a small humidifier going right by him and the increased humidity (also as Luis suggests) did seem to help a bit. It may help if your husband does not lay flat when sleeping.

I wish you both all the best and send a big hug. Purrlie

[Stephanielayell82]

There is a eye drop that can be prescribed to put on the tongue. Atropine is the name of the eye drop. It helps to dry the mouth up with all the extra drool and helps when the mucus comes up to be able to swallow easier. Hope this helps.