Not on BiPap but lots of mucus

Status
Not open for further replies.

HeatherFeather

Distinguished member
Joined
Nov 30, 2014
Messages
284
Reason
CALS
Diagnosis
10/2014
Country
CA
State
Quebec
City
Tiny town w/no stoplight!
Ron is constantly having to deal with mucus - his breathing is good - 2 months ago 98%, last week 87% so doc says no BiPap yet. I bought him some Robitussin Mucus & Phlegm which he tried but says it doesn't work. Suggestions?

Thanks everybody and have a beautiful day!

Hugs from Heather
 
Here is the advice we got here on the forum that seemed to help some;
Drink coke - it does help break up the mucous.
Take papaya enzemes- from the health food store
Avoid dairy that causes mucous.
Some people found cough drops help- but there is a danger of getting caught in the throat and causing choking.
A tongue scrapper - drug store
A suctioning machine ( easy to use, like in the dentist's office.
Good luck. Donna
 
Hmmmmm - good ideas - thanks Donna! xoxo
 
drink more water--thins out the secretions. pals tend to drink less because urinating is a hassle. the down side is dehydration, kidneys work harder and mucous gets thicker.
 
Actually Ron drinks a ton of water and when he has to urinate, I just whip out the urinal. We're trying him on drinking some Coke to see if that helps. He asked me, this afternoon, to use a little flashlight to look down his throat to see if I could view any phlegm and if I did he was going to ask me to get the turkey baster to suction it up! He's got these ideas LOL!
 
Does he have heart burn out acid reflux? That's my problem! Apparently when your diaphragm starts to weaken it can cause this and ads to the phlegm issue. I hadn't noticed the reflux at first,I noticed that I had to clear my throat a lot though! Just throwing that out there because I tried, cough drops, hot tea, never thought of out being a diaphragm issue! Then, the more I cleared my throat, the more phlegm!
 
My hubby has just started to get a bit of reflux and spit going down the wrong way is making him cough a bit, guess this could be the start of things moving to the neck.
Just had a lesson in another boy job.....changing the oil and filter in our Toyota cruiser.
Hubby said that was probably going to be his last oil change.
Love Gem
 
Oh, maybe that's it - it's a diaphragm issue. I'll also ask him if he gets any acid reflux when he gets up later. We have our first aid from palliative care coming today - she will be helping four hours a day, three days a week to give me a break. She's really nice, with lots of experience (not with ALS patients but with the elderly).
 
We use Flonase nose spray and Sudafed to help with congestion and Guaifenesin (ingredient in cough syrup) followed by water to keep any mucus thinned out and to avoid bad coughing spells. Your husband might not need all of that but if the symptoms get difficult please see a pulmonologist. They are so good at dealing with the breathing issues that ALS can cause.
 
Following Max's advice, my PALS uses the 12 hr. Mucinex and it's helped a lot. When the phlegm and mucous increased again in spite of the Mucinex, adding the cough assist has helped get it up and out and keep him much clearer.

I hope you find what works for your PALS so he is (and then you are) more comfortable.
 
Well, he's been drinking Pepsi and it's helping a lot with his mucus problem - thanks Donna!
 
Well, they've ordered a BiPap for Ron as they discovered he is using only the top half of his lungs now, and his breathing went down to 73%. Hopefully we will get this soon because Ron seems to be having more and more trouble catching his breath in bed now (the last few nights). I called his neuro and he will put a rush on it. It will be delivered to the house with a nurse, so at least we don't have to go pick it up in Montreal which is really taxing on Ron.
 
When they bring the bipap, it is a good idea to have him try it on laying down and sitting up. Breathing ability due to diaphragm weakness changes in different positions. You want to make sure that he is set up with a wide enough pressure range that he can use it for sitting and sleeping.
 
When they bring the bipap, it is a good idea to have him try it on laying down and sitting up. Breathing ability due to diaphragm weakness changes in different positions. You want to make sure that he is set up with a wide enough pressure range that he can use it for sitting and sleeping.

Oh, thanks for the info, Steph!
 
Heather, you might want to ask about a suction machine also to help clear any of the mucus he can't get up if he doesn't have a cough assist.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top