Swallowing phlegm | Imamother

amother

OP ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 1:28 pm

dc has a loose cough and is swallowing a ton of phlegm.

I was always told not to sniff in/up phlegm as it goes back in.

doesnt it just go into the stomach and totally not a problem or is it better to bring it out?

amother

Starflower ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 3:10 pm

Totally ok medically. Socially, maybe not. Though the approved alternatives of trumpeting or hacking into a handkerchief aren't precisely aesthetically pleasing, either.

HonesttoGod

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 3:39 pm

Post nasal drip (and cold) will do that.
Often makes kids nauseous because of all the phlegm.
When an adult has a cold they also end up swallowing unless they’re spitting it into a tissue all day (also gross).

It’s part of nature. Won’t harm them.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:35 pm

thanks. yeah it makes me nauseas when people do that in to a tissue or even spitting in the street.

what about the sniffing upwards, like it goes up to the sinus? some goes up through the nose and some goes down the throat.

one of my other kids once had a burst blood vessel near the eye from sniffing up all the phlegm.

amother

Orchid ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:37 pm

Kids can vomit or have diarrhea from swallowing too much. It definitely affects the stomach.

amother

↑ Orchid ↓

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:38 pm

FYI my pediatrician told me a hack, give them Benadryl for 2-3 days it’s clears up mucous.

amother

↑ OP

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:50 pm

amother Orchid wrote:

Kids can vomit or have diarrhea from swallowing too much. It definitely affects the stomach.

gonna ask a silly question now. please dont make fun of me Smile

my other concern is if it can go into the lungs/chest?
it comes up from the lungs but can it go back in when swallowing?

amother

↑ Orchid

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 4:52 pm

amother OP wrote:

gonna ask a silly question now. please dont make fun of me Smile

my concern is if it can go into the lungs/chest?
it comes up from the lungs but can it go back in when swallowing?

No it goes to the stomach usually

amother

↑ Starflower

Tue, Nov 19 2024, 5:31 pm

It's not a silly question. Anything in the throat can theoretically be aspirated into the lungs but usually isn't. To do that you need to overcome the mechanism that closes off the trachea (windpipe) when you swallow. Certain drugs and certain disorders can do that, but it's unlikely to happen to a healthy person unless he talks or laughs with his mouth full--in which case he would normally start coughing like the dickens to expel the material from the windpipe.