For about a year now, I have experienced a lot of thick white mucous in the back of my throat. This inhibits swallowing, forcing me to hack it up and spit it out. I think this can make my voice scratchy but other than that I am not experiencing any other symptoms. I have gone to an ENT previously and I believe i tried a proton pump inhibitor but it did not have an effect.
Hello . Good to hear from you. I understand your situation. There are two reasons for your complaint mostly. One as the doctor who has seen you previously suggest must be because of a reflux from your stomach. Second might be because of something called as a post nasal drip. For dealing with the reflux, just a ppi would not help. You should make certain life style changes such as: 1. Avoid spicy food. 2. Eat on time. Your stomach should not be empty for for than 2 hours. 3. Do not sleep soon after you eat. Give atleast 2-3 hours of time between your meal and sleep. 4. Try to keep your head end elevated by a couple of inches while sleeping. Now regarding your post nasal drip, do have frequent episodes of cold/nasal discharge..? If yes take the necessary medications for it. So I would suggest you with the following medication: 1. Continue your ppi( like pantaprazole 40 mg once daily before breakfast). 2. If u have a cold, take an antibiotic( like amoxicillin 500mg twice daily for 3 days), an anti histamine( like levicetrizine 5mg once daily before sleep), a nasal decongestant( like oxymethazoline thrice daily in both nostrils). Reflux X Ray PNS , Direct laryngoscopy Acute rhino sinusitis GERD Medical, life style changes Follow up in one week after the life style changes n medication suggested.