I think I am allergic to something. I don’t know if it’s dust, mold, pet dandruff, but my throat is just itching and irritated all the damn time now. I actually went to the doctor and got instructions to use Flonase and Mucinex. None of which is helping my throat. Still hurts especially on the left side. It’s not acid reflux – I’m on Prilosec and have zero heartburn. The doctor did look at my throat and saw some mucus, but nothing else.
It’s been going on for weeks and the worst part is whenever I sit at the computer, it seems more irritated. It’s not as bad outside. We went on a walk yesterday and it didn’t seem to be too painful, but now it’s just bugging me to no end. Bleh.
Does anybody else in Central Texas has this crap happening to them? Or am I the only nincompoop?
PS. I’ve resorted to Russian medicine and ordered propolis paste from Amazon.
I can´t get rid off dry coughing, but I one thing that helps me is green tea with fresh lemon juice, grated raw ginger(peeled) and bit of honey. It´s my lifesaver.
And for mucus in a throat, the good way to dissolve it is to make a saturated warm saline solution (just add a salt to cup of warm water until it does not dissolves anymore) and gargle it twice a day. Not very tasty but helps. Same thing also helps to clear stuffed nose (but is even less pleasant, though it works) – you have to sniff it.
Luke warm saline water does wonders for my sinusses. I have a lot of problems with them due to my severe dust mite allergy and rinse them every day. Since I do that I my sinusses swell up a lot less so I have a lot less headaches.
Never tried the saline water to gargle, I will certainly try it next time I have mucus stuck in my airway.
Yeah, gargling with salt water works great. Unpleasant, but works.
Or you can get premixed saline packs at the pharmacy or grocery and use it once or twice a day it really cuts the mucus. They have neti pots or what I use is a bottle you squirit up your nostrils and tilt your head each way to clear the water and mucus. It helps the mucus and moisturizes your mucus membranes. I have awful drainage and allergeries and my ENzT Dr has me using this and it really does help a lot
Dear Mrs. Gordon,
My name is Cynara, (long-time reader, first-time writer,) and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am sorry to hear about your throat. I feel your pain; it is frustrating to not be able to sing without my voice cracking because my being off-key isn’t bad enough. You know that feeling when you are just talking and suddenly get a dry spot in your throat that makes you keel over hacking? This tea can make it go away. It is called Throat Coat by Traditional Medicinals Wellness Tea. The good news is you only need a sip hot or cold, and it relieves the irritated spots for, I would say, at least 30 minutes. The bad news is, is doesn’t taste fabulous. My son calls it “the witch’s brew.” I’m sure there are other things with slippery elm in them, but I have not found them. This tea is easily purchased at any grocery store in Arizona, so I hope you can find it easily. It’s an easy, effective fix. I will attach a picture for you, and I hope you feel better soon. Also, thank you for the hours of enjoyment you and your husband have given me. There is a peace I find when I am lost in a good book, and I appreciate every moment.
Sincerely,
Cynara
I get an itchy, irritating cough when the air is too dry indoors since I live in a house with central heating (and it’s an old house with brick walls that are 30 cm’s thick so I guess they absorb a lot of moisture too). When the cough persists for too long I get mucus in my throat that is very hard to cough up. Thyme sirop is a good way to help loosen the mucus.
I bought a big humidifier last winter that also purifies the air, which is a plus cause I have severe dustmite allergy. As long as the humidity doesn’t go under 50% I don’t have a scratchy throat anymore. My humidifier has a hydrostat so all I have to do is full it with water every day.
If you buy a humidifier, don’t buy one that works by ionising the water. Before I bought that big humidifier I had a small one as a test that worked by ionisation and after a while it leaves a white film (very fine chalk) over everything in the vicinity even though I put water in it that went through my Britta filter. Humidifiers who work by warming the water, or cold water and a fan (which is the system I have) don’t have that.
If you’re in your new home, I’d suggest an interior air analysis. Formaldehyde can have that kind of effect, as can other chemical irritants. There are some reasonably inexpensive home test kits available. Good luck and feel better.
I have the same symptoms with my throat with my chronic sinusitis. It comes from the post nasal drip down the back of the throat which is frequently in such small amounts that I don’t notice it. It is usually worse on one side but both sides are involved. I use the Navage to rinse out the sinuses because i’m not very skilled with a netti pot. And that helps in the short term. Have had to have antibiotics several times to clear up the low grade sinus infection which causes no other symptoms. I find it gets worse with seasonal allergies or when the heat first comes on in the fall. Sitting at the computer makes it worse and I can only assume i am holding my head in a position that facilitates the drainage. Try washing out your sinuses by whatever method you prefer and use your flonase which can take a while to be effective and possibly add sudafed (if you tolerate it) to dry up the drainage. For me the mucinex which is supposed to help thin the mucous and help the sinuses drain made the symptoms worse but don’t stop it as your doctor said to use it and he should be the one you listen to. Hope you feel better soon.
Sorry to hear about your sore throat. Everyone has some great suggestions. (some of which I’m trying!) I have a lot of allergies, including to foods, & have found that while (non-sedating) antihistamines do dry out my sinusitis, they also dry my throat & that hurts. 1st the post-nasal drip, then dry, then a sinus infection. Sore throat, swollen sinuses. If I notice the infection soon enough, a steroid nose spray will help, if not I must get antibiotics. I have switched to freeze dried stinging nettle capsules for the runny nose symptoms, those work pretty well. (I tend to save Benadryl for extreme allergic reactions like anaphylaxis, after the epi pen & hospital trip.) Benadryl does make a terrific sleeping pill for me also. Other people I know are able to take Sudafed in the morning and/or evening and be ok. Although you have to try ’em to see which works, the stuff you must sign for or the PE. As for soothing your sore throat, a warm toddy is by far the most fun. Also, most people seem to be allergic to molds/funguses of one type or another. You should probably get the new house checked for those too, before you move in. Sorry about all this.
If you are willing to try Chinese medicine, my parents fed me this whenever i had an itchy throat or cough: https://www.amazon.com/Nin-Jiom-Pei-Pa-Koa/dp/B001FAQXD2 It helps that I think it tastes good too
Or if you don’t want medication, Asian mom pseudo science says: eating asian pears or the pith of oranges will help with coughs and itchy throats. To check if its a humidity issue, breathe over a bowl of hot water (with a towel over your head), if it makes you feel better, then purchase a humidifier. If you think it is chemical related, make sure the air filter you get also has a large activated carbon filter. HEPA filters filter out particles (the P in HEPA) while activated carbon filters remove odors and gases. Good luck!
You might be allergic to certain fruits. As I get older I found my throat now itches if I eat bananas, kiwi fruit or cherries. I would take a Benadryl tablet to make the itch stop. Now I just stay away from these fruits.
I am not in Texas, but Montana. I have had something similar before though 🙂 Things that helped me were gargling warm salt water or alcohol based mouth wash. These dry out the mucus in the throat. Also, a netty pot rinses out your sinuses from whatever is irritating it. The only other things i can suggest are pretty basic, mint tea, eucalyptus essential oil in an oil diffuser. Oh! if you have a DOTERA person their “on guard” really clears out your nose and smells warm and citrusy.
I have dry throat + allergy problems that sound similar. One thing that helps me is to wear one of those paper, elastic over the ears, hospital masks around the house, or when I sleep. It works like a mini humidifier/allergen excluder. If it’s really bad I will mist the inside lightly with water, or even rub it with a little bit of lavender oil or eucalyptus. Works for me.
Consider where the computer is? Is there carpet? Do you wear the same clothes in there all the time? Change the drapes? Curtains? Something in that room is sparking your immune system……
It’s an Austin allergies thing. (Unless you have something else going on.) Usually it takes folks a few years to get sensitive to the allergies here. And then they just get miserable a few times a year until they get it under control. When you move it will probably get better. Allergies collect inside the house. Try getting an air cleaner. And changing your air filter every few weeks. And rinsing the allergies off your face periodically. And don’t rub your eyes, because that rubs the allergens into your eyes, which are right next to your sinuses.
Maybe try spending a week on the beach? That works to clear the allergies out of my system. Not for my sister-in law though, she’s allergic to something at the beach too.
One method we have found effective in dealing with allergies (and in one case we know of, a doctor recommended this method to a women suffering from severe asthma), is to take two tablespoons of local raw honey daily for about two weeks. It’s really important that the honey is local to where you are living. The raw honey (easiest to find in Farmers Markets) has the various types of pollen that could be causing all the reactions to your environment. It worked really well for my husband when he was commuting between California and North Carolina for about 18 months.
Good luck and much empathy.
Hi Ilona
I’ve read a lot of good stuff about this approach as well. Certainly worth a try and hey! Honey is yummy and good for you!
A couple notes:
Raw – you need to get raw honey because the pasteurization process kills the good stuff
By itself – You need to eat it straight and not in tea or on anything hot. The heat will kill the good stuff too.
I second the idea to check your air humidity. I had that problem – I found a good test to see if the air is too dry to stand near a kettle of boiling water for a bit – if the itch goes away after the kettle has been boiling for 10-15 minutes it is a humidity issue….
My throat does that usually right before I get a major cold from hell. My sinuses go crazy before this, so I do try the Flonase to try and head it off. When that doesn’t work I take raw honey (from a local in the area you are living in – helps with allergies) add slices of lemon and ginger let that soak in the honey and add it to my tea. My husband does that too – except he’ll add a touch of whiskey to it as well and swears it takes the pain right out.
Please consider food allergies in your list of possibilities.
When I tested positive for allergies to corn, soy, milk, wheat, eggs, coconut, and yeast, I paid a lot more attention to how food, in general, made me feel. A sore throat, itchy skin, arthritis, headaches, achy muscles, and nausea were some of the symptoms.
I live in Vermont and not Texas, but I do get similar symptoms at certain times of the year. A couple weeks ago was hell because some trees and plants were having a last reproductive hurrah before winter starts to set in.
I try to stay as hydrated as I can when this happens. Gargling warm salt water (“yummy”) helps the sore throat, and avoiding mucus making food/drink (my milk! my cheese! *sob*) helps with the mucus.
My office at work gets AWFUL in the winter and sooooo dry it hurts. So I use a cool air humidifier. I also use a Himalayan salt lamp (no laughing peeps), because it naturally ionizing the air and makes the burden on my asthmatic lungs a bit easier. Not to mention the pretty mood lighting! At home we use lots of humidifiers because the air gets really dry up here in the winter, especially when it gets really really (did I mention REALLY?) frigging cold up here in January and February. We’re talking -15F regularly… -30F to -50F after the windchill factor on windy days. The air gets dry enough to give you a nose bleed almost…
Because of the long cold winter that closes up our homes up here… it’s no surprise that once spring hits a balmy 55 degrees, we are opening windows and driving with the sunroofs open, lol! We finally had to close the bedroom window this week. Booo! Now commence the five months of coooooold…
Well I remember our year of exile on the east coast in 93-94. One of the worst winters at that time especially for exiled Southern Californians.
I always thought my husband’s cousin was exaggerating about wearing shorts and t-shirts in 50 degree weather in Cincinnati until we had been experiencing 25 degrees below zero and it warmed up to a sweltering 40 degrees in northwest New Jersey. The entire neighborhood dug out their shorts and t-shirts and swanned about . . . until the next ice storm and we went back to huddling in our sensible winterwear.
If you haven’t already, look into getting a whole house humidifier. We have used one for years now. We are in a two-story house, so we set it up on the second floor and run it during the Santa Ana winds and any other time the humidity is down in the teens to single digits and all the joys of dry air, dry skin, dry sinuses, and static electricity need to be wrestled into livable conditions.
Much empathy.
Dear Mrs. Gordon,
My name is Cynara, (long-time reader, first-time writer,) and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am sorry to hear about your throat. I feel your pain; it is frustrating to not be able to sing without my voice cracking because my being off-key isn’t bad enough. You know that feeling when you are just talking and suddenly get a dry spot in your throat that makes you keel over hacking? This tea can make it go away. It is called Throat Coat by Traditional Medicinals Wellness Tea. The good news is you only need a sip hot or cold, and it relieves the irritated spots for, I would say, at least 30 minutes. The bad news is, is doesn’t taste fabulous. My son calls it “the witch’s brew.” I’m sure there are other things with slippery elm in them, but I have not found them. This tea is easily purchased at any grocery store in Arizona, so I hope you can find it easily. It’s an easy, effective fix. I will attach a picture for you, and I hope you feel better soon. Also, thank you for the hours of enjoyment you and your husband have given me. There is a peace I find when I am lost in a good book, and I appreciate every moment.
Sincerely,
Cynara
Reading other helpful tips reminded me of one more
-I rinse eyes when my sinuses are acting up. As stupid as is sounds, a lot of the time just rinsing my eyes works like expensive medicines do for my sinuses. I buy the store brand box of preservative free single dose drops and let them work their magic.
I’m not sure if anyone else has suggested this but have you tried local honey? You can add it to tea or just have a spoonful (Its also awesome for sore throats). It has to be local (the closer to your location the better). I live in Florida with year round allergens so this is a trick that my mom used when we were kids and now I use.
If the irritated throat is worse at the computer try cleaning the keyboard. I had recently removed the caps on my keyboard to fix some sticking keys and was amazed by the gunk that was festering in the crevices between the key caps.
Could be formaldehyde in the air… try Peace Lilly’s they remove a lot of common household toxins! And are pretty – warning don’t let your pets eat them…
https://greatist.com/connect/houseplants-that-clean-air Gives you a list to look at too for other options
Also gargle warm salt water, it kills off bacteria and cleans off gunk.
I’m not certain if this would be at all relevant if you only started Flonase after it started to be irritated, but Flonase gives me a strep-like sore throat after using it for about a week. No other symptoms beyond an incredibly painful throat, but it’s happened all three times I’ve tried using the spray. Once I stop using it my throat takes a few days to recover and then we’re all good again.
Not sure if anyone mentioned this but a year ago I had an issue with an itchy throat and was constantly sucking on cough drops, finally found out it was my blood pressure medication. Not sure if you take any thing for blood pressure but something my have triggered ba medication to cause a reaction.