My husband was dx in early May. Despite the many side effects of chemo and radiation(nausea, hair loss, thrush, low wbc, rbc) the one that has been most troublesome for him is the excessive build up of phlegm. He sleeps sitting up until the saliva builds to a point where he wakes up. (the sound is similar to what I would lovingly describe as coughing up a hair ball)
He is on the feeding tube but the sores in his mouth are preventing him from taking anything by mouth ... even with the help of a morphine patch and the magic mouthwash. I read about a patch for motion sickness and it helped to dry his mouth somewhat but then the thrush was back with a vengence! Any ideas about how to help him?

I wish someone other than I had responded to your question because I, too am looking for a solution to excessive phlegm. My husband does not have a PEG, indeed refuses to have a PEG but the excess phlegm prevents him from being able to eat or drink. He has an IV every evening for hydration. In his nursing home where he is staying during radiation he has a machine that sucks the mouth phlegm out, but it doesn't reach the throat phlegm. He has swabs he can dip into a liquid and run around the inside of his mouth and he has two kinds of prescription and he has Biotene from Wal-Mart. But right now, with 5 radiation treatments to go, phlegm is is biggest problem.

Phlegm - a better term than mucous since that gets patients confused with mucositis which includes mouth sores -
Still Phlegm has been and remains the bane of my cancer TX. After two years of fighting it, the only thing that has consistently worked for me is plain old Seltzer water - the carbonation acts like little scrubbing bubbles to help lift the sticky stuff into spitable form. The big bottles in the stores do not work as once opened they lose the all important fizz.
I routinely empty my local Safeway of their little metal can six packs of their generic Seltzer. Just pop open the tab and rinse, then if possible gargle and spit. Not a miracle cure but it does clear out the majority of my phelgm
This second time around, the phlegm was so bad, and so prevalent that the home suction machine (covered by insurance) worked if I put the tube down my throat to the point of the gag reflex and around the gums. I am finally going to return it this month as now I can control it with seltzer. I did sleep sitting straight up with pillows from March to July but have gradually progressed to just having the neck elevated. Back then I got up twice a night to keep from choking. finally settled into a routine of waking up for a hour at 3 or 4, rinsing my phelgm out, posting on OCF, rinsing my phelgm out and sneaking in an extra can of Jevity.
This last week is the first time I have slept through the night since the operation.
Whew, long post, but the point is that YES, it is very hard now, but it will get much much better with time. And many others have done quite well and recovered much faster. I still need to use Seltzer two or three times a day but the phelgm is now liveable. Good luck
charm

That is a very common (like 99%) side effect of the radiation and it too will pass in a few weeks. Mine was bad but not as bad as others and some rented a portable suction machine and have advised others since then to do the same when it gets to the point that you are describing.

Re the PEG and not swallowing....the swallowing muscles can quickly loose their memory on how to swallow in a matter of days so please encourage him to swallow something everyday. Doing this may avoid a lifetime of swallowing problems post Tx.

Stumble,

You don't mention radiation in your Signature Line but I assume your husband had that?

Who treated him at Moffitt?

Was he tested for HPV?

He must continue to get calories and hydration or it will get much much worse. Believe me I speak from experience.

Sorry, I corrected my sig. I don't remember who at Moffitt - so long ago, but I will never forget Joseph Pearlman at VA across the street. Now, with 5 radiation treatments left, he has gone from size 48 jeans to 44 jeans. 48 size jeans are so hard to find! He stays in Tampa 5 days a week and we come home weekends. At home he saws logs so he is not emaciated. I will try seltzer - going out now to buy some. Thanks.

The seltzer water sounds like a nice natural solution. I'll get some ASAP! I hate the thought of giving him any more medicine to combat the side effects of other medicine. I've even discussed giving him green tea and his chemo nurses reminded me how caffeine can dehydrate you.

I bought a 12-pack of seltzer and he finally got around to trying it. He took a mouthful, swished and then shot it out saying it burned like he-l. This morning I gave him a glass of Jumex Guave juice. Very bland to me but tasted horrible to him. He will and has finished a bottle Bolthouse Mocca Cappuccino So I guess I'll be giving him more of that - 21 g of protein in each bottle. I wish we could take the suction machine home with us.

Sandy

I would think a little burning to get rid of the thick junk in the throat would be well worth the burn. I am past 2 years and that crap is as bad or worse than it was. Like everything else, it takes time.

My hubby drank so much water, I can't imagine where it all went!!! But truthfully, it seemed to help with the phlegm. Remember that old axiom about having a cold and how fluids thin out the mucous? He also, did the seltzer, rinsed with the salt/baking soda solution, and Biotene mouthwash and dry mouth spray (and still does those two.

I still think that the water was the secret. Good luck!