Hi everyone,
I'm new here and have a question about phlegm. I'm not sure it's related to allergies or asthma as my daughter, who has the problem with phlegm, doesn't appear to have either asthma or allergies. Anyway, here's the problem...
My daughter is aged 7 and has severe learning difficulties as a result of a complicated epilepsy syndrome. The reason this is relevant is that she is non verbal and cannot articulate what is happening. I just have to go on what I see. Anyway she has started, over the past 2 months or so, to get phlegm appearing in her mouth. She never coughs it there, it just appears. I have watched it happen and cannot understand how it's getting there when she doesn't cough it there or make any sort of action to get it up. It's quite a sizeable amount of phelgm and she is aware of it and unfortunately takes it out in her hands, unless I get there first. It's not green, but is sort of yellowy white. She doesn't appear to have a cold but has a history of respiratory problems associated with her seizures mainly.
I am less worried about why she has phlegm but am concerned about how it is getting into her mouth without her coughing. I guess I am concerned about it happening at night and maybe her aspirating on it or something - she often does have seizures at night. The only pattern I have noticed is that it often happens when she is laying down or partially reclined but I'm not sure that's significant. Could it possibly be some sort of refulx action causing it to appear? Not that she's ever been dx'd with reflux but it just seemed like a possible cause fo rit just appearing. Any thoughts anyone?
Many thanks, Kate, mum to Laura age 7 w/Dravet syndrome.