Disgusting Phlegm Question. TMI, sorry ... sorry ...

[Fairy]

I have a cold, blah blah blah. As usual, it's wreaking havok with the asthmatic bronchitis. My head is draining, making me cough, and it's moving into my chest. Problem is that when I cough up this stuff, it's violent coughing. I gag terribly and end up throwing up if I can't control it. Doctor gave me zpack script to fill on Monday if I'm not "feeling better," (cuz the crap sitting in my sinuses is gonna begin to get infected, even if it's all caused by a virus). How do I know by the phlegm if it's getting infected? what color? Right now, puke yellow, kind of green spotty. I hate to fill this thing if I'm not infecty yet. If anyone knows the joy of phlegm, please share. Thanks!

[tarabenet]

A doctor friend of mine says it is about how long you have the problem, regardless of color. Personally, any time mine has gone technicolor for more than a day, it has been part of an infection. If things start to smell bad (if you can breathe enough to smell, of course) that generally means sinus infection too.

Did your doc say anything for or against using Mucinex and/or saline rinse? Mucinex doesn't give you that dried-out feeling decongestant does, but it thins the goo so you can clear it better. It makes all the difference in how I feel when I'm fighting that kind of stuff. And saline rinse will help clear out your sinuses and soothe that burning feeling the back of the nose. The doctor friend I mentioned earlier also said she thinks the salinity helps kill off the infecting bacteria.

I just know when I'm fighting anything like you have, I throw everything at it I possibly can! And I don't even have asthma. I'm just a wimp. One thing, though: my annual warning about Zicam spray/swabs. Don't risk them!

Feel better soon!

[Fairy]

Thanks, Benet :-). Totally forgot about Mucinex. That stuff does work. Ok, tomorrow, back to Mucinex. Then also filling the Z-pack. Yes, technicolor, indeed. Ugh.

Ok, so ... what's the Zicam spray alert? I'm over here on the ignorant side of the island on that one . . .

[ThreeofUs]

Oh, it sounds awful for you! Sorry to hear you have such a nasty cold so early in the season (though it's snowing here right now).

ITA that a sinus rinse might help - if you have a neti pot, now would be the time. A hot shower and/or heating pads of any sort on your chest might help break up the congestion enough that you wouldn't go into violent coughing to bring it up.

But the short answer is that green phlegm means that your body is fighting an infection (bacterial or viral); the green is from a co-enzyme produced in the process.

If you're green spotty on yellow, you've got an infection developing but your body is fighting it off. If you're pretty sure it's bacterial, go for the zpack when/if the green starts to become the dominant color.

Hope you get better very soon!

[tarabenet]

Zicam is associated with a very rare but really crappy side-effect. If you google it, you'll see a lot more about it. Otherwise, you'll think I'm making this up, it is that bizarre: It can kill your sense of smell. It doesn't happen to many, but if it does, it is permanent. Wish I'd known before it got me. Zicam has a lot of products now, and I doubt that the throat lozenges/sprays/etc. do it, but the original nose spray and swabs, that are supposed to help you fight off a cold, are the problems.

Why don't they take it off the market? It is very hard to prove a decreased sense of smell. I mean, who has a baseline eval for that? And even if there is a clear indication, proving the link is next to impossible. But the compound in their original product was closely related to something the Nazis fooled around with way back when, and that is how someone made the connection.

I told you it was weird.

Meanwhile, though, when you go get the Mucinex pick up an Ayr nasal rinse kit and some distilled water. It is such a relief! I like it better than a Neti Pot because it is a squeeze bottle. At first, you'll think you just snorted up a nose-ful of pool water or something, but then you'll realize it feels cool and comforting, not burning. Works great in the shower too.

[nupe]

Love the neti pot! I had green icky phlegm stuff last week and lost my voice and was this close to calling my doctor, and then it turned around, no antibiotics. Love my Neilmed neti pot! I got it at walgreens, best $15 I ever spent.

[DrSally]

I think green. Also, I agree with the time issue. If mine has gone on longer than 10 days, it's most likely bronchitis. I tend to get it every winter.

ETA: Also feeling achey mid-cold (rather than when it first starts) is another sign that it's turned bacterial for me.

[Fairy]

Zicam is associated with a very rare but really crappy side-effect. If you google it, you'll see a lot more about it. Otherwise, you'll think I'm making this up, it is that bizarre: It can kill your sense of smell. It doesn't happen to many, but if it does, it is permanent. Wish I'd known before it got me. Zicam has a lot of products now, and I doubt that the throat lozenges/sprays/etc. do it, but the original nose spray and swabs, that are supposed to help you fight off a cold, are the problems.

Why don't they take it off the market? It is very hard to prove a decreased sense of smell. I mean, who has a baseline eval for that? And even if there is a clear indication, proving the link is next to impossible. But the compound in their original product was closely related to something the Nazis fooled around with way back when, and that is how someone made the connection.

I told you it was weird.

Meanwhile, though, when you go get the Mucinex pick up an Ayr nasal rinse kit and some distilled water. It is such a relief! I like it better than a Neti Pot because it is a squeeze bottle. At first, you'll think you just snorted up a nose-ful of pool water or something, but then you'll realize it feels cool and comforting, not burning. Works great in the shower too.


Holy! I believe you. Wow. So, you have no sense of smell?! I'm so sorry. Thanks for this warning. Just took my 2 z-pack pills, as well as 2 mucinex. Got to this too late for the Ayr, but I'll get this again, sure bet. I might go pick that up just to have it for next time. BTW, I love breathe-right strips. They work perfectly almost every time for me. 'Cept this time :-(

Thanks, again!

[CAM7]

Don't forget to drink a LOT of water! Also...can someone run over to the healthfood store and get you some Vit C with sodium ascorbate as the main ingredient? The peeps at the store can help you out if you don't know what SA is...

[Fairy]

Unfort, it's me, myself, and I -- and DS -- Monday thru Thurs, as DH travels. Last year, DH and I both had the flu and were literally so out of commission, we could barely stand, so my parents had to come over and take care of DS while we went into your basic coma. This ain't so bad. It ain't so good, tho, either. The thing that really makes it hard is that it is always becomes full blown bronchitis (or at least feels like it) every time I get a cold, and I'm really not sure why. We all get colds, it's not a big deal! But for me? Asthmatic bronchitis every time. I also have no good bladder control since DS, so during these times, since I cough and gag so hard, I go thru more underwear and pants than I can wash (cuz a big honkin' pad overflows with one bout of coughing). The OB doesn't want to do the surgery (only answer is surgery) until I'm done with kids, and since there's a tiny% chance, she just wants to wait.

The Mucinex has really kicked in, so the mucous is alot better.

Thanks for letting me rant and for the suggestions! I'll go get that Zicam mist right away. KIDDING. But for real, gonna go pick up the Ayr.

[M&Mmom]

I don't know if this is helpful for you, but DD's doc yelled at me for not properly providing preventative measures for asthma during illness. Basically, DD got a cold, it went into her lungs and she had horrible asthma attacks for a week or so. If this continues everytime she gets sick then she will probably end up with bronchitis everytime she gets sick. Doc instructed me to increase her maintenance asthma med as soon as she gets the runny nose/sniffle/cough - first sign of illness. If she gets a full blown cold start giving albuterol nebs in addition to the increased dose of maintenance med. Continue until illness is completely cleared up. We did this last time she got sick - and it didn't get into her lungs at all! So in future, maybe you could use some bronchodialators to try to ward off the bronchitis. Just a thought. HOpe you feel better.