My husband is 8 weeks post treatment and he still has copious amounts of phlem which is keeping him from sleeping or swallowing, he would like guidance on when it may stop or encouragement. The docs say next to nothing or are so vague. Does the phlem mean the radiation is still working, why does it keep coming. Some people on here have said theres stopped at 3 weeks so he's discouraged. I try to get him to focus on the good things like being finished with treatment but he just wants to get better and it's hard for him to be patient.

Hi Deborah,

My husband is also 8 weeks post-treatment and is still spitting phlegm every few minutes. We keep a garbage bag-lined bowl right next to the bed so he can just rollover and spit. Swishing with a sterile water/baking soda/salt solution helps thin out the secretions a little. My husband's phlegm is a yellowish color and we are trying to find out if this is normal or signals an infection.

If you haven't already read my long post in this category "seeking advice for husband-1st time post, I would recommend reading the responses. I got some very good information from others. Also, I pulled up Brian Hill's interview with a reporter from Dental Abstracts Magazine and it was very good. It made me realize that we are not in the sprint just to get through treatment, but are now running the marathon that recovery seems to be.

Deborah, I would recommend that you get your hubby's Doc to write a script for a suction machine. It can sit on the floor or on a bedside table. It will help alot in getting the phlem out of his mouth. Your Ins Co. should pay for the rental [on a monthly basis]. He's got a ways to go yet. Hope you can encourage him to be patient.Don't forget to take care of yourself too. Amy

For me and few others I know, the phlegm thing just went away after a few months. Just suddenly stopped. In the meantime the doc gave me some Guaifen and that also helped. Sleep propped up a little and use a humdifier. Joanna has some tips also about dealing with the phlegm.

I ahd phlegm problems for a long time after treatment. For about three months it was really bad then mostly went away.

I will say that I think now part of the issue was I was unable to swallow any of my phlegm and this was an early sign of the swallowing problem I later ended up having which went unnoticed by my docs when it seemed to be just a phlegm problem. Are your husbands eating stuff yet? If so, then the phlegm problem is probabluy just a phlegm problem. If not, you may want to request a swallowing test soon.....

Nelie

Just wanted to add that Charlie used Astlin (a nasal spray) and it was the only thing that worked.

When did people's phlegm start to become a problem? I have a light amount of phlegm for last 2 weeks but not really much of an issue. i can clear it out in morning and not have to deal for remainder of day. its yellowish and asked the doctor if that signaled infection and he said not necessarily. i've had 29 imrt treatments ( tommorrow is my last) to the tongue from 5 diff angles. really tryng to get at if this is just the beginning for me on the phlegm

Wow. That's great Warren. I was a phlegm machine for the last three eeks of treatment. It sounds as though, for whatever reason, you are getting through it easily. Congratulations!

Warren,
The phlegm was quite a problem for me. MDACC prescribed a Yankauer suction machine...sort of like you use at the dentist's and it really helped me. I kept it by my easy chair during the day and by the bedside at night. When I went out I had to carry a box of tissue.
The good news is that this too will pass. Once the phlegm stopped waking me up, however, the dry mouth replaced it and that woke me up!

Take care,
Danny G.

danny - had your phlegm started mid-treatments as Nelie's did? is there hope for me it will stay like it is now