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Phlegm and spitting, {sorry}|
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Senior Member |
Can anyone please help, and explain to me why my fil has this horrible excessive phelgm, when he tries to clear his mouth, or spit, the stuff is so sticky, and super thick. I can hear it in his throat, and maybe in his chest. He does not have a temp. I have a call in to the doc right now, I am just frustrated and frightened for him.
I know you can't tell me why he has it, or the cause, but how do you deal with it??? What to do? thanks for any help!!!! |
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Senior Member |
BWB, for plenty of reasons, some relatively innocuous and some quite serious, old folks have phlegm in massive quantities. If this condition has "come on" suddenly with no cold, allergies, etc., I would worry enough to take him to the doc to rule out more serious problems like congestive heart failure, pulmonary embolism or other very scary serious stuff.
If he has allergies or a cold, etc., to thin the secretions, he should be drinking tons of water. If the cause of the phlegm is post-nasal drip, a decongestant such as sudafed along with an antihistamine, like claritin could be considered. Mucinex (guifenisin) comes in tablets to reduce mucous as well as being the active ingredient in OTC expectorant cough syrups, such as Tussin. It goes without saying that you should consult with his doc or the pharmacist to ensure that the OTC meds do not interact with any meds he is already taking. "She ain't heavy; she's my mother." |
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Senior Member |
Well first Blue does he suffer from seasonal allergies? This is the one of a few times a year this happens to alot of folks (including me
But it could be something more serious so pat yourself on the back you did good putting a call into the doc The other thing I forgot to add baby is sometimes fever is not a good indicator of anything specific (MIL case in point doesnt show any signs of fever even with the staph infection she had) MB made a good point to keep a stethoscope handy to listen to a persons chest during times like these to check for that tell tale rattling when congestion/fluid is present. This message has been edited. Last edited by: Bunnys_grl, ********************************************** Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit. |
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The ElderCare Forum
The ElderCare Forum
Homecare & Independent Living
Phlegm and spitting, {sorry}
