Dealing with phlegm in the airways
in Health ·
Hey everyone... I've been dealing with this excessive secretion from my mouth and nose for three years now. About a year back, I ran a massive fever—hit 106 degrees for three days straight. Ever since then, I’ve lost some hearing in my left ear, deal with constant tinnitus, and the drainage just ramped up. My throat hurts almost every single day, and my tonsils get inflamed every month without any relief. I've cycled through about 15 different antibiotics, antihistamines, anti-candida meds, and various diets—tried everything from Pepcid to various supplements. I've been poked and prodded through it all: gastroscopies, bronchoscopies, MRIs of my head, AST, blood work, urine tests, stool samples, allergy panels, hepatitis and HIV testing, candida checks, endoscopies, ultrasounds of my salivary glands, abdomen, lung X-rays, and sinus scans. Everything comes back "normal," except for a tiny bit of swelling in my ethmoid sinuses and some inflamed, pitted tonsils. The specialists tell me that the sinus swelling is negligible and nothing to worry about—certainly not worth surgery—yet they're telling me to have my tonsils out, suggesting they might be the culprit behind this massive secretion issue. The discharge is clear, white, and thick; it comes from both my nose and mouth, and overnight it just drains into my stomach, which makes eating a total nightmare. I'm talking maybe 4 or 5 ounces of this stuff a day. They found a dust mite allergy that's likely wrecking my mucous membranes, but even with antihistamines and Flonase, nothing changes. I've visited the top-tier medical centers in the US, but it feels like nobody can actually help; they just push surgery on me hoping something sticks. My blood counts are always perfect and my immunology tests look fine. They found candida twice, though I suspect that's just a side effect of the antibiotics, but even after six rounds of Diflucan, the symptoms haven't budged. I also have a bit of reflux. I don't smoke, I don't touch alcohol or drugs, and I don't even drink coffee. My bronchoscopy results were spotless (no fungi, bacteria, or issues with cytology). I don't get headaches, I sneeze normally, and I don't cough. I had mono about six years ago. When I open my mouth, doctors can actually see the secretion constantly dripping down. If anyone has an idea of what's going on, please let me know... Thanks in advance.