The Medical Consumer's Advocate
Yum! A mucus question.
Other people's mucus is my bread and
butter. 
-Proverb from an old Chinese ENT.
Q: I have had some mucus cough
in my throat for several months. I can't seem to get rid
of the mucus. I also have a closing in my right ear, and
it also feels like I have phlegm or mucus in my chest on
the right side.
A: Mucus is produced throughout the sinus
cavities, nasal cavity, throat, and trachea by microscopic
mucus-secreting glands. If you have excessive mucus, it may
be coming from your sinuses, nasal cavity, lower airway
(trachea/lungs), or some combination of these. If you are a
smoker, this tends to thicken the mucus from all sites.
We all produce, quite normally, one
liter (four cups) of mucus per day, just from our sinuses and
nasal cavities. Guess what happens to this stuff: we swallow
it. (Hope you're not about to eat dinner.) Most folks don't notice it,
because it's thin enough to "go right
down" and does not cling to the throat. Anything that
thickens the mucus tends to make it more noticeable. Here are
some of the many problems which can lead to thicker mucus:
Asthma, chronic bronchitis,
dehydration (in our society, this is due to excessive
caffeine and alcohol intake), sinusitis, nasal allergies,
bacterial rhinitis, viral infection (common cold),
particular medications which tend to decrease saliva and
mucus production.
If you are feeling mucus in your
chest, asthma or bronchitis may be possible explanations. On
the other hand, your comment about "closing in my right
ear" suggests Eustachian tube dysfunction, which is often due to
post-nasal
drainage. Thus, the sinus and nasal diagnoses listed above
may also be possible explanations.
Hope I have given you some food for
thought. Since asthma and bronchitis are more serious
illnesses than the others listed above, you should see an
internist first to make sure your lungs are okay. An ENT
would be my next stop after that. Good luck.