mucus and phlegm

tesa
tesa Member Posts: 123
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Could you guys tell me what you did for mucus. My mother is full of phlegm and mucus from her radiation and re-irradiation of sinuses. I used the suction thingy today for the first time and got some thick chunks out her mouth, some of it stuck to the roof of her moth. She's having a hard time spitting it out ( weak) and it gets caught up in her throat. What else can I do to help with all that gunk. Her mouth smells bad from that stuff. Could this be affecting her appetite? What's a good liquid appetite enhancer that anyone has had success with?

Comments

  • Hal61
    Hal61 Member Posts: 655
    #2
    Hi Tesa, don't have any
    Hi Tesa, don't have any advice on clearing the mucous beyond the machine you are using and the regular salt and baking soda/peroxide rinses and gargles. As for appetite, a recent thread mentioned two products you can check with your mom's doc about: "megacee" and "megestrol".



    best, Hal
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    #3
    Hi Tesa
    It sounds like you've really got your hands full. What are her circumstances that she's so weak that you are having to do her suction? I'm reading between the lines, and I could get some of this wrong, but if you poor two are stuck in a situation where she is this disabled, and needs full-time care, it occurs to me you may need more help. This implies, perhaps, some home health attendant, or alternative living arrangment...

    I know I just put the cart ahead of the horse. But this situation is going to go on for awhile. And I think you posted earlier about some other medical problems beyond cancer and radiation, so I'm guessing the whole situation may be pretty complicated.

    The suction is a good friend right now. If she could use it herself it would probably do a better job. I have found the baking sode/salt solution to work on my mucus about as well as anything. I use a ton of it. Probably 20-25 ounces a day right now.

    Keep coming back so we can think about some of this with you. How did the fluid problem resolve?


    Pat

Discussion Boards