Waking Up With Dry Blood In Nose, Mucus Filled Throat And Feeling Heartburn. Taking Mucinex. Suggest

Posted on Mon, 20 May 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 20 May 2013 Answered on

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I am a 23 y.o. Male waking up in the morning (2-3 times a month) with hard, dry chunks of blood in my nose...sometimes only in the right nostril, sometimes in both nostrils) and my throat is full of canary~yellow mucous (no blood) making it hard to breath and swallow (until I clear it through coughing).I also have noticed that I have a terrible case of heartburn which occasionally causes me nausea when my nose and throat are in this condition, and have vomited on several occasions. I can't pinpoint the cause of my symptoms. We haven't had the heat on in the house for the past 2 weeks, we have no pets, I take Mucinex now and again to try to help clear the mucous, I do smoke cigarettes and some weed almost dally. I had my tonsils removed when I was little, but they've since grown back and are considered to be "kissing" tonsils. I also snore extremely loud. I don't have medical insurance, so I'm hoping for a "do at home" fix for the problem.

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (2 hours later)

Hi,

Thank you for your query.

1. Even if these blood clots show up 2-3 times a month, it is unusual.

2. The mucus is a sign of sinusitis and rhinitis. You probably also have a Post Nasal Drip (PND).

3. A PND will worsen any acid reflux.

4. You need to stop smoking as this interferes itch the normal functioning of the nose and sinuses.

5. After a tonsillectomy, the tonsils never grow back. This must be residual tissue or you may have to check the details of your surgery.

6. In view of the nasal clots, I would recommend that you do not try to treat this at home. You may take a trial of an anti-allergic decongestant, saline nasal drops and steam inhalation. If this fails to relieve your symptoms, seek medical attention.

I hope that I have answered your queries. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar