Wednesday, June 03, 2009 cyberspace asks

Q: Thick mucous (It is like thick saliva) flow into my mouth and I have to spit almost constantly.HELP

I´m living in a nightmare and hopes that you can help me. (I live in Sweden so I apologize that my English not is perfect.) This is my 17th week with more or less constant spitting. I am pregnant and it began when I was pregnant in my 15th week. I got in mucus (is that the name? As thick saliva) in my mouth that I can´t swallow so I spit it out. It feels as it comes from my throat. It´s more after food and later in afternoons and evenings. Evenings I have to spit severel times every minute. For a long time I didn´t get any help from doctors because the doctors who is not gynecologer said it is probably some normal reaktion to pregnancy. The gynecologists says they don´t recognize it. Finally when I search info I found something called "pharyngeal laryngeal reflux". That you can have reflux up to the mouth. I thought that maybe that was the thing. I finally found a doctor to ask and she said it is possible but if that the case it is probable to late i pregnancy to heal becaus the pressure from the child but she thought I could be better. I was then 25 weeks pregnant. Since then I have eaten 20 mg losec (PPI, omeprazol) morning and evening. Now I have taken it in sex weeks. The bad taste has dissapeared almost completely and mayble little less "fluid" in my mouth but it is even thicker mucus now than before that comes in. I met another doctor last week. He said that relux isn´t so thick. The thick mucus can comes from that my esofagus is inflammed. But if it is inflammed from the reflux he thought it should have healed now. So he thought it could be candida in the esofagus. I got a reaktion immediately when I eat some food. It get best with colhydrates as pasta. And the worse thing is when I eat fruit like rasperry or bananas. The mucus/saliva get thick immediately.. So thick that I can hardly spit it out. Have someone experienced the same, pregnant or not? In that case what was it? How did you get better? Hope someone can give me hope how I can get well. I know hormones weakens the "stomach-mouth" and that you easier get candida when you ar pregnant. If this don´t get away after my pregnancy they will do a gastroskopi. Does anyone have another suggestion what it can be? I hope you try to help me. This is really a nightmare. I must get well when the baby is born, otherwise I will not have the energy to take care of it in a good way. Kind regards Erika, Sweden

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Answers (12)

Jan Gambino, Health Guide

6/ 4/09 6:33am

Hello Erika,

Your english is excellent. I completely understand your message. It is helpful to have so much information.

It is common to have reflux during your pregnancy. The baby is pushing on your stomach and many moms have heartburn, burping and discomfort, often for the first time. It is important to eat smaller meals and try not to eat for 1-2 hours before a nap or bedtime. Stay away from reflux triggers such as spicy foods, acidic foods, etc. High fat foods will digest slowly and may cause discomfort too.

The mucous you are describing needs to be checked by your primary care doctor. Make sure it is not an infection of some kind. Perhaps the doctor will test the mucous. In the United States, if the reflux is severe during pregnancy, a mom will often see a gastroenterologist. PPI medications are used during pregnancy but with a great deal of caution.

Let me know if I have answered your questions and let us know what you find out.

Maybe a baby picture too?!

Thanks,

Jan

cyberspace

6/ 4/09 11:09am

Hi Jan,

Thankyou for your answer. Do you recognize this thick mucous that I described? What do you think it can be for infection? Candida? Or something else? Do you know how to test it? If it doesn´t get away after the pregnancy they say I will do a gastroskopi but they don´t want to do it when I am pregnant. I use losec, a PPI, and it is classificed ias catogeri A here in Sweden. They say it will not harm the baby. But it is never fun to take medication when pregnan. Yes, I follow this sugggestions you wrote about, about smaller foood and so on. Do you recognize this constant spitting as a sign for reflux to the mouth or do you think it is a infection or inflammation? If it is inflammation from the reflux should it have healed by now? I have use PPI for almost seven weeks now. Hope you wants to answer me again. Kind regards Erika

Lee W.

6/28/10 2:08am

Hello Erika,

I am surprised that you will get relief after having the baby. I have had the same problems and many other issues too. This started with me about 2 years ago. I have had 4 Cat-scans and have went to 20 doctors including the Doctor of Medicine at the University of Columbia hospital. None of them can identify what the problem is. I have to spit constantly and talk about thick siliva, I have that and also it hangs on my gums and cheeks. There is a very large amount that comes from my nasal area and when I have to blow my nose, it is a mess. I usually go through almost a box of Kleenexes and 1/2 roll of paper towels every day and I use a new toothbrush up to 3 times each day. My primary care physician is out of ideas for my condition. I have went to a large variety of doctors. I have just finished college as I lost my job of 27 years, due to imports.

The doctors think I have anxiety and that is what the problem is. They have had me on Amitryptilene since last November. If anything my problem is worse than ever. The primary care physician told me that this medicine would make me not care if there was a problem with my saliva/nasal. Well, I am here to tell ya that I still have a problem and I sure wished that I could get this fixed. It sure was hard spitting all the time and doing homework. Lee W.

emma

7/17/10 12:44pm

I am so sorry to hear about your problems which I understand completely as it is exactly what I experience everyday : ( ; thick sticky mucus, saliva, excessive nasal drip and an explosion when I can blow my nose.

I too have been to numerous doctors and had numerous tests-it really is the most frustrating and depressing experience.

I think we have narrowed done to a GI problem. Mine is worse when I eat or drink (even plan water). GERD can contribute to some of the symptoms but nothing quite as severe as what we are experiencing. For myself, following a GERD diet helps a little , just to control to excessive mucus but defiantly not a cure. Tuesday I will have an EGD to determine if I have Barret's esophagus (worth looking into b/c may explain symptoms) or some form of esophageal problem... I am a bit anxious because I so want them to find the problem but fear it may be something more serious.

In addition, before the mucus began I had a horrible cough for 3 months this has led the Throat and Swallowing doctor to think that I have Post Viral Vagal Neuropathy. This condition can contribute to my throat's hypersensitivity to mucus ,nasal and saliva production thus creating the difficulty swallowing.

After many attempts I finally found an Rx that helps SLIGHTLY but I'll take anything right now. Protonix 200mg is the only PPI that has even touched the symptoms. I am still spitting out all day but the med does allow me to get 20 minute breaks now and again.

I wish you the best of luck and I empathize 100%

qneem

7/ 3/09 8:50pm

You are definitely not alone! I am in the 13th week of my 3rd pregnancy and my mucous will not stop. I had excessive mucous during all of my pregnancies. For me, it got better at some point but I can't exactly remember when. I know it's disgusting and bothersome but I haven't found anything to help. Sinus medicine doesn't help, expectorant doesn't help- nothing but giving birth helps.

cyberspace

7/ 8/09 7:02am

Hi!

Thankyou for your answer. Is your mucous also thick? Can you swallow it or do you have to spit it out because it otherwise feels as it is stock in your throat? Does it come from your throat or is it more like excess saliva, or both? Have you had any explanation from any doctor? I am in week 37 now and it has been worse for every month. .. When I have search for this in discussion boards I have found none here in Sweden whith the same problem and when I ask my gynecologs they say they have never heard of it. When I have search on discussion boads I have found some in USA that have the same problem. Most seems to have excess saliva but some have excess mucous back in the throat. As we know there are very many people living in the USA, maybe this is extremly uncommen. And the quastion is if it the pregnancy is it only the hormones or hade the hormones created something else, for example reflux. It is nice to have direct contact with someone who have similar experience. It would be very kind of you if you answer me agian. It means a lot. Kind regard Erika

qneem

7/11/09 1:13pm

I definitely have to spit it out. If I even feel it going down my throat while I'm eating food, I have to spit that bite of food out. I have a friend who is the same weeks pregnant as I am and she spits even more than I do. We both have an excessive amount of regular saliva- that we can swallow. The excessive mucous we do not swallow and keep spit cups or tissues nearby for this reason. Acid reflux, aka heartburn, is also normal during pregnancy. The mucous and the acid refulx are both due to pregnancy hormones. I feel bad that you've had to go through your whole pregnancy with this problem. If I remember correctly, I went through it the whole time with my first pregnancy but stopped sometime along the way with my second pregnancy. Don't be alarmed, though, because the spitting will stop pretty much as soon as you give birth. You should feel almost immediate relief. You've only got a few weeks to go, so stay positive :)

sssfinancialgp

3/15/12 1:42pm

I would have to agree. I am in week 14 and it is getting overwhelming for me. I can't drink water or any other liquid without filling "strangled." My last pregnancy was just the same however it did get better in my third trimester. I have not found any remedy. I try to eat ice instead of drinking water or drinking hot tea and nothing seems to be working. If someone has a remedy I would also like to know it. I have also spoken to my provider and they advise that it is not reflux but she also had no reason for me to have it.

Sheddy

9/ 2/09 7:21pm

Just wanted to let you know, that my daughter had this during her second pregnancy, and she used to carry a soda bottle with her to spit in when she was away from home. It will go away after you have the baby. Congratulations on your new life!!!

mommyof2

9/15/09 12:13am

I had the same thing when i was pregnant with my daughter and have had it again with my second pregnancy but it's not as thick...it gets so bad in the morning when i wake up that i keep paper towels by my bed to wipe my teeth and tongue off. it's horrible and thick and makes me gag. i'm mentioning it to my dr when i go back and am hoping she can tell me what to make it better. but it is very common in pregnancy unfort. and a lot of people seem to have the same problem. with my daughter like 2 days after giving birth the thick spit was gone and i was back to normal. it was weird but i was glad to see it go. it may just be something that can't be cured during pregnancy but i'm hopefull for some answers too! GOOD LUCK!

mmartin

8/14/10 10:28pm

"Hello Erika! Sry, about u'r problem! Congrats on the young'un! :)

I too sometimes get really thick mucus and can't hardly swallow it. Since I'm a man It's not due to being pregnant. ;) It seems the mucus runs down into my stomach and because it's so thick it doesn't let my stomach valve close properly, thus allowing stomach acid to come up into my throat. Therefore bad heartburn.

I have found out tho that heartburn is actually caused by a LACK of stomach acid, not too much. (contrary to popular belief)

So, adding acid helps to digest food better, keeps the stomach valve clean so it can shut tightly. Best way to do this is drink 'Apple Cider Vinagar'! "ACV" is an acid and actually good for many things. BUT, in taking ACV I discoverd that it cuts the muscus (even the really thick stuff) from my throat and allows me to spit/hack it all up or swallow it.

Usually, one or two swallows is enough for me. Sometimes though I have to takes several swallows. Seems that several small swallows lets it "cut" the mucus better.

I keep a bottle with me everywhere. Work, in all my vehicles, by my bed...at night when I can't sleep because of heartburn (which coinsides with thick mucus most of the time for me) I raise up, take a swallow or two and then I can sleep.

Now, many times I put off taking ACV because that 1st. drink burns like crazy!! 2nd. and 3rd. not as bad. But it always works!

Some ppl. mix it half & half with water and add honey to taste. One man I know automatically makes up 8 ounces a day and drinks it thruout the day. Keeps stomach conditiond well, plus helps with his joints. (ACV is good for many things) ((research it's uses))

I will add this also, that I DO NOT have heart burn or thick mucus problems whenever my weight is down and my stomach is in shape!

When I start getting heartburn I know that I need to work on my eating habits a do more excercises.

Many ppl. have trouble believing that heartburn is due to a lack of stomach acid but just try it. Research it.

I hope this helps!" :o)

MMartin

sssfinancialgp

3/15/12 1:48pm

My mother uses this for her bronchitis. I will try it. She says this works wonders for her also. Thank you!

MJ's PYT

1/14/11 1:51pm

Hi, I know exactly what you are going through. I have three children and with everyone of my pregnancies, my siliva became so thick and If I would swallow it, it would make my stomach hurt worse and make the vomitting that I was already having even worse. Like you, I asked my doctors about it and one said acid reflux, the other said it was just a symptom of my pregnancy. They were not concerned that it could be serious. But for me it was. I had to carry and spit bucket every I went. I would wake up out of my sleep because my spit would build of so much that I would almost choke on it. My grandmother said that she went through the same think with her two children, but my mom didn't go through this at all with any of her three pregnancies. So I really don't know it anybody knows what the cause of this problem is but what I can tell you is that on the day that I had my kids, it went away immediately. And from now on I know that I am pregnant before my menstrual cycle tells me a because when I can't swallow my own spit, I'm pregant.

Barbara

1/18/11 7:18am

I have had this problem for over five years now. Two doctors said it was acid reflux but I don't believe it because there is no acid. Also, I had a colonostomy and upper GI and that doctor said I only have mild acid reflux. I am retired and don't have any stress or anxiety. I have never had allergies and rarely get sick. The only relief from this condition started about two weeks ago. I woke up on my stomach and realized that I slept through the night without waking up with mucous in my throat. Since then I have been sleeping on my stomach and I don't have the mucous all night. I still have it sometimes during the day.

palmgoodies

9/28/11 10:15am

Check with a Gi specialist..I've been having this problem coninually getting worse for years..it started with rice then just recently i got pregnant and couldnt swallow at all it felt like someone forcing a ball down my throat and spitting the mucus out was my only releif ..i was then hospitalized when i couldnt eat or drink anything because it got so bad .with several trips to the er and my ob finally they admitted my to the hospital a week after not eating & drinking..turns out after an upper endoscopy i have a esophagal ulcer..its being treated now with 24 hr prilosec & pepcid..lets say I feel much better and no more mucas..I was even able to eat rice again after 3 years..

Good Luck !! I hope you find some relief!!

Mimimum

1/ 4/12 4:41pm

Dear Erika, do not panic at all. this is something very common to women in my region or around. i am pregnant at the moment and 20 weeks. I started having this thick saliva at 11 weeks and it has not stopped. just like you it is most triggered by some foods and fruits that i eat. Sometimes i have to forcebly remove this thick thing from my throat. it also sometimes trickles down into my mouth just like you. Most western doctors cannot tell you what it is as it is mostly not a westing simptom. but be assured that it goes away the moment the baby pops out of your bely and is born. Dont worry, it would not continue after birth. Please find something that works for you, I chew on ginger (if you can) and the keeps it away somehow. over the weeks i have tried several other things. It is not any strange thing and so be careful not to entertain dreadful sicknesses being diagnosed for you. It happend to me for all my other 2 children and i am fine immediately after birth. sometimes i get over it around month 6 or 7. so please cheer up and know that you are not alone.

samantha

2/ 4/12 12:09pm

I have exactly the same symptoms of thick mucous instead of normal saliva, as well as small salivary glands beside my mouth leaking a viscous solution all day and night. In addition, all my other sweat glands seem to be secreting something much thicker and stickier than ever before in my life, resulting in my hair being glued down to my scalp and neck. No doctor has taken me seriously, even though the symptoms have been so disabling that I have had to stop working. I cannot sleep at all due to the secretions.

I have been trying aryuvedic treatments, with steam inhalations of ginger and osha roots, and huge amounts of mucous just pour out of my eyes, nose, mouth, throat, but I haven't yet noticed any improvement in the symptoms. My hair is breaking off, leaving me with big bald patches, due to the gluey substance being secreted, apparently from every hair follicle. This affects every hair follicle on my body. I also have a weird, waxy discharge from the palms and soles . . .

Any thoughts anyone?

samantha

2/ 4/12 12:12pm

Any thoughts anyone?

samantha

2/ 4/12 12:13pm

Any thoughts anyone?