Hi Lynnie,
My husband coughs a lot and it seems to be his saliva that he chokes on. He also spits a lot. Like you say, he tries to clear his throat. His saliva is very thick. He drools a lot. He has had PD for almost 19 years.
This probably is the PD but it wouldn't hurt to check with the doctor to be sure.
I hope it gets better.
Blessings,
Betsy

I never thought of the saliva, but it also sounds like a deeper cough so maybe I should make an appointment with his doctor. He doesn't do any exercises except for walking but not every day. He sits around a lot, so maybe that has something to do with things.

You said that your husband drools a lot. My husband does when he is sleeping in the chair during the say and the drool sometime gets on his shirt. I find myself looking to see if the shirt is stained if we have to go anywhere later.

i have a deep cough due to the fact my esophagus doesn't function well....when i get up in the morning i cant clear the thick mucous very well...it just sits in my lower throat area around the first big bronchial branch to my lungs......my cough is unproductive until i start exercising for the day....normally our esophagus automatically moves the stuff up and out but as the smooth muscle becomes affected by rigidity it doesnt move the stuff up. i suspect the cilia (fine hair like structures) that wave and move the fluid up and out of our lungs becomes somewhat affected by rigidity and or failure of our autonomic nervous system controlled in part by the substantia nigra.

peace
BT

I have researched this topic more and found that coughing without expelling mucous very well is a common result of Restrictive Pulmonary Disorder which i have. As the elasticity of the lungs become weaker the patient may begin to suffer from
hypoventilation, hypoxia, and inability to clear lung secretions with ineffective coughing. The test is easy it uses a spirometer and can be performed in the DR office. As mentioned before i also have esophageal issues which doesn't help.

peace
BT

I woke up in the morning a few weeks ago and had phlem in my throat that I couldn't cough up and felt like I couldn't breath properly. This was not the first time this happened. I made an immediate apppoint with an ENT doctor.. He diagnosed it as post nasal drip and I got him to prescribe a suction machine. I have not had a recorrence yet but I feel I will be able to use this machine if I get caught up with this again. A local PD friend ended up inthe hosppital and she said they gave her one to use while she was there. She feels it saved her life. Good luck and good health. Alex

Update: We saw his MDS today when he had Botox and mentioned about the coughing so he gave us a note to give to our family doctor to have a swallowing assessment done.
I will keep you updated.

after the swallow study have your doc use the spirometer...it can be done in the office for little or no cost....as easy as taking a blood pressure and shows many revealing things.

peace

BT

What is a spirometer? I have never heard of it.
Thanks,
LYNN

its a small machine in the dr office that you blow into...it measures capacity of the lung and forced used to push out air and pull it in...it directly measures the ability of the chest wall muscles to do the job of expelling air from the lungs. it has a little tape readout and gives you instant results. its too easy not to try it.

BT

Thanks, I will ask them about it.
I took the note to the doctor's yesterday so we'll just have to wait to hear from them about the assessment. He might want to see him first to make sure it isn't just nasal drip, or something else.
He's never had a cough hang on this long and he doesn't have any cold symptoms so you wonder what it could be.

your very welcome.

Brer T