Hi Moms,
I have had the most annoying problem of constantly clearing my throat, & it is driving my husband crazy! It feels like mucous or something that makes me clear my throat all the time. I do this throughout the day. Last year, I had a partial tonsillectomy (for a different reason), & I thought that another bonus of my tonsillectomy was that it would solve my constant throat clearing problem, but it didn't. Last week, I went to my ENT doctor & he told me that constant throat clearing happens w/ overweight people who have heartburn, but I do not have heartburn & I am not overweight, so he ruled that out. He also said it can happen to people who have reflux, which I also do not have. I asked him if the mucous (or whatever it is in my throat) is a result of me eating/drinking dairy products, & he said no, that is a myth. His only other thought was allergies. He said there is ragweed in the air this time of year (I live in the Dallas area), & so he recommended one Zyrtac every night throughout the winter & even into the spring. I have been taking Zyrtec for a week now, and it hasn't improved. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thank you!
Thank you all for the advice thus far! I look forward to getting more advice. For now, I guess I will (sigh) try going dairy free for a few days, as someone suggested. That will be hard for me, as I drink milk and eat cheese. :( But I will try. Someone else suggested my throat clearing problem might be from a dairy allergy, which I kind of have. I was allergic to milk, but over a year ago, I went to a chiroporactor who does N.A.E.T. treatments and he cleared my milk allergy. I know it worked b/c I was able to drink milk when it was very hard for me before he cleared my milk allergy. But maybe I am still a little allergic to milk? I will drink almond milk for a few days (yes, I can do that!) and just get off cheese all together for those few days, and I will see what happens. Thanks everyone!
hi
yeah I do the same and it does appear to be allergies.. and Zyrtec only does so much... You can ask the ENT for Clarinex (not the store brand type) the type they give is much stronger... when I was taking that for about 10 days.. finally, the dry cough and mucous began to clear up... I didn't have allergies for years and then bam...
you'd probably say it's not your case, but it could be stress-related. the person "feels" like something is really the throat even if it's not,and psychologically "removes" the problem. after a while you just keep doing it until eventually it becomes chronic. My boss used do do this and it was, indeed, psychological. It did drive us crazy but you could certainly hear him approaching your office! Try some weak relaxant (not sure the spelling is right) and see what ahppens, just to break the cycle. Good luck.
I think the dr is full of baloney to say that it couldn't be from dairy products! It very well could be......IF you're allergic to them! Try eliminating one food group at a time....combined with totally gutting/cleaning your house to eliminate the possible allergens there.....& see what happens. Good Luck!
If you've ruled out all sources of possible irritation, is it possible it's become a habit? Something that started out subconsciously and now just continues? Just an idea.
I know that some medications cause a dry throat and a side affect can be throat clearing and a nagging little cough. My mother in law's doctor suggested keeping lemon drops on hand to keep the throat moist. You can try getting some of those and see if it helps. If you catch yourself wanting to clear your throat, maybe try getting a drink of water and see if that helps too.
Consider that it may just have become a "reflex" action that you do because you've done it for so long. Do you do it more in the morning? At night? When you're in a hurry to do something or something is upsetting to you?
Try keeping your throat moist and paying attention to when you do it. You may find a pattern.
Best wishes.
How do you know that you don't have reflux? Many reflux cases DO NOT have heartburn as a symptom. I have the same throat clearing thing going on as you-constant dripping down the back-and I have reflux. I never get heartburn with it. It manifests in sore throat, nasal drippage, sometimes earache, shoulder pain, chest pain. but again, never heartburn. I suggest that you make an appointment with a gastro if you have never been to one. In the meantime try Prilosec for a couple of weeks. And research reflux yourself a little bit -it will also give you foods to avoid.
I would say allergies too. I have them and I clear my throat a lot. I do not take anything because I have either been pregnant or nursing for about 4 years now (baby #3 on the way). I used to take Zyrtec D with the decongestant and that helped a lot. If not, try Claritin D -- seems to work for some and Zyrtec D better for others. Best of luck --if you find the "magic cure" let us know :) ha!
My boys and husband do this quite frequently when they are having allergy problems. Our doctor has them clear out their sinuses by using "NeilMed Sinus Rinse". You can find it at Walgreens or probably even Walmart. There is a little packet of salt rinse and a bottle that is pressurized and you just squeeze it into your nose and it comes out the other side and then you switch and do it the other way. I know this may be TMI on here, but just thought I'd tell you how they do it - and it has worked wonders for them all. You are supposed to do it one or two times a day. Hope you feel better really soon.
Go back to the dairy allergy question.
Have you tried stopping ALL dairy products
for a few days to see what happens?
Did your doctor talk to you about post-nasal drip?
Since your doctor doesn't appear to be competent
in diagnosing YOUR symptom (as compared with the statistical norms
he's familiar with), you need to see/talk to someone ELSE.
Since you've been doing this for a long time . . . even before you had your tonsillectomy, clearly it's not simply a seasonal/ragweed situation.
Please let us know what happens.
have you tried any throat drops or cough drops? what about nasal spray to thin the mucus running down the back of the throat?
I would suggest that you have your thyroid levels checked. I was diagnosed with Graves Disease ( Not nearly as scary as it sounds!!!) about 20 years ago and one of the symptoms of it is constant throat clearing. It is caused by polyps on your Thyroid...which sits in your throat region and I guess it makes you feel like you have something that you need to clear from your throat all of the time.
Your thyroid is the "thermostat" that regulates all of the phsycial activities of glands, brain, and organs. Depending upon whether you have Hyperthyroidism ( Over active thyroid production) or Hypothyroidism ( under active thyroid production) you would experience almost opposite symptoms.
With Hyperthyroidism you could expererience heart palpitations, jitteriness, diarrhea,sleeplessness,hot flashes,excited speech,
With Hypothyroidism you could experience Constipation, Lethargy, Being Cold all the time, slowness of thought and speech.
Your doctor is the only one who can test for this....go to him with your concerns and see if he thinks the Thyroid might be the culprit. If it is...it is a really simply "cure"...they killed my thyroid off with a radioactive pill and now I am on a daily dose of artificial thyroid...case solved!!
Good luck to you
