Does green mucus always mean infection?

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Steve - 02 Aug 2005 15:35 GMT

I have a little green mucus in the morning, usually the first blow. The rest
of the day is clear mucus. Does it always mean infection when it's green?

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Steven L. - 02 Aug 2005 16:25 GMT

> I have a little green mucus in the morning, usually the first blow. The rest
> of the day is clear mucus. Does it always mean infection when it's green?

That's my ENT's rule of thumb: Green = infection

Because the discolored mucus tends to be more viscous, you may have more
discolored mucus that is not coming out when you blow your nose. Try
irrigating your nose with saline solution and see what comes out.

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Steve - 03 Aug 2005 19:02 GMT

I tried HydraSense irrigation and what came out was clear. I can hardly get
the solution to come out of the other nostril it's so swollen.

I am thinking this could be allergies. I was diagnosed with allergies and
years ago I used to take allergy medication but one day got fed up and
stopped taking it. My allergies largly went away after that, but I moved to
the country and now live by a farm and maybe I am allergic to something
growing around here.

Steve

>> I have a little green mucus in the morning, usually the first blow. The
>> rest of the day is clear mucus. Does it always mean infection when it's
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> discolored mucus that is not coming out when you blow your nose. Try
> irrigating your nose with saline solution and see what comes out.

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Steven L. - 03 Aug 2005 21:19 GMT

> I tried HydraSense irrigation and what came out was clear. I can hardly get
> the solution to come out of the other nostril it's so swollen.
>
> I am thinking this could be allergies.

Generally, an allergy doesn't affect only one side of your nasopharynx.

Allergies can cause infected sinuses.

But the fact that one nostril is much more swollen than the other,
suggests the possibility of an infected sinus on the swollen side. The
green mucus is another indication.

You really need to see an ENT or a physician trained to diagnose sinus
disease.

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sedum41 - 08 Aug 2005 19:37 GMT

Both my allergist and ENT drs. said that a 'little' discolored mucous in
the morning is ok. Only if it is a profuse amount or continues through the
day does it mean anything. They claim the darker mucous is just that it has
been in the nose longer which happens when you are sleeping and things
don't drain properly.

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sedum41 - 08 Aug 2005 20:08 GMT

One more thing Steve - see if your doctor looks in your throat when he/she
does the exam. He/she will be checking for mucus running down your throat
as well as looking at your tonsils. Checking its color and amount. My
doctors usually do this check. So I guess you could have a sinus infection
that is only draining in your throat and not out through your nose. Do you
notice if you feel upset stomach? If you are draining a lot of infected
mucus to your stomach, I've noticed in the past I feel sick to my stomach.

Hopefully you've made an appointment to see someone.

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