Blood streaked spit/phlegm PLEASE CALM ME DOWN.

[Mav]

Just when I thought I was getting better, just when my life was actually going somewhere good I'm hit with another health fear.

I spat out blood in my phlegm again. It's not gums and it's not the spit in my mouth, it's from the back and it discolours my tooth paste and when I really clear the phlegm out it's streaked with some blood. I cannot stop panicking, this is the second time i've noticed it.

Im not going to try and connect the dots but I have had a tickle in my throat that makes me want to cough but I cant recently (for the last few days) but it's been very brief and I've has some shortness of breath (But I get that occasionally and too much caffene has often been the cause).

I feel fine, better than fine apart from spitting that discoloured and blood streaked phlegm. I'm panicking and really upset. I don't know whether I should take this problem to the doctor or just wait for a bit and if it keeps happening make an appointment.

My mum has told me before how shes woken up and spat out blood before and shes fine, better than fine. I'm sure this happens to others and doesn't mean anything serious. I'm scared though, for the first time in months I feel panicked again.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think it's the same as the other day and you were handling that event so rationaliing this and calming yourself down might get you back on track.

It could be an infection. It could be a result of forceful coughing or too much coughing. Even some food scraping on the way down (maybe). But unless you are in a load of pain or vomitting blood, it's not something I would be concerned about.

This is what the NHS say, which we should follow as it includes emergency reasons:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coughing-up-blood/

Bare in mind it includes all causes so it will include the much les common serious things. But the common stuff, like infections, will be seen in the millions of cases every year by GP's I'm sure.

Tickly cough, shortness of breath...maybe an infection. Obviously worsening breathing symptoms they will tell you to see a GP because they like to play safe. I guess you could ask a pharmacist, basic stuff they tell us these days to see them a lot of the time. They will tell you if you need to see your GP.

If your chest/throat symptoms aren't much, they may just monitor it to see if you beat it without the need for antibiotics.

[Mav]

I think it's the same as the other day and you were handling that event so rationaliing this and calming yourself down might get you back on track.

It could be an infection. It could be a result of forceful coughing or too much coughing. Even some food scraping on the way down (maybe). But unless you are in a load of pain or vomitting blood, it's not something I would be concerned about.


This is what the NHS say, which we should follow as it includes emergency reasons:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coughing-up-blood/

Bare in mind it includes all causes so it will include the much les common serious things. But the common stuff, like infections, will be seen in the millions of cases every year by GP's I'm sure.

Tickly cough, shortness of breath...maybe an infection. Obviously worsening breathing symptoms they will tell you to see a GP because they like to play safe. I guess you could ask a pharmacist, basic stuff they tell us these days to see them a lot of the time. They will tell you if you need to see your GP.

If your chest/throat symptoms aren't much, they may just monitor it to see if you beat it without the need for antibiotics.


I've not coughed up anything, I don't even have a cough. You're right I did handle the other say ridiculously rationally. I've calmed myself down already tbh, I've had my moment of freak out and I already feel calmer (I most definately am on the right track).

I'm going to give myself a time span of two or so weeks and if the problem persists or gets worse I'll get checked out.. It seems silly to me to even panic because all the odds are in my favour in terms of considering this a symptom of something serious.

I don't want to let this weigh me down. I am anxious about it but thanks for the NHS website.

Funnily enough it's not the problem that freaked me out, it's the recurrence of it today. I was fine with it the other day, I thought it was a one off but seeing it again today just pushed me into a moment of panic.

---------- Post added at 02:00 ---------- Previous post was at 01:56 ----------

I do feel a lot calmer but that may be because I'm so sleepy right now that I'm borderline dozing off while typing this. I'm just leaving this anxiety for tomorrow. And even then I dont want to worry about it. I hope it clears itself up as soon as possible

[MyNameIsTerry]

I'm glad you are on top of it.

It's a trigger and it caused a brief panic but you have handled it. That's all progress because it's early on you work on beating the things bothering you but then learning to tackle the things that come out of the blue are the next goal. Eventually you will master your reactions and stop it as they happen.

That's how I found it anyway.

When things jump out of people, the fear cycle kicks in. It's how we handle it and push on shortly afterwards that matter. Anyone could jump nout of their skin when someone jumps out on them and shouts "boo!!!", that's all this is.

Good. Park it. The fact you can, and can relax, shows you are on top of it. If you weren't you may be up for hours worrying about it but you are calming down.

The mind has just seen something to apply some Confirmation Bias with "oh look, it's happened again so it must be..." but that's just anxiety & it's tricks.

[Mav]

I'm glad you are on top of it.

It's a trigger and it caused a brief panic but you have handled it. That's all progress because it's early on you work on beating the things bothering you but then learning to tackle the things that come out of the blue are the next goal. Eventually you will master your reactions and stop it as they happen.

That's how I found it anyway.

When things jump out of people, the fear cycle kicks in. It's how we handle it and push on shortly afterwards that matter. Anyone could jump nout of their skin when someone jumps out on them and shouts "boo!!!", that's all this is.

Good. Park it. The fact you can, and can relax, shows you are on top of it. If you weren't you may be up for hours worrying about it but you are calming down.

The mind has just seen something to apply some Confirmation Bias with "oh look, it's happened again so it must be..." but that's just anxiety & it's tricks.


Yeh I brushed my teeth and clear my throat this morning and I had the faintest lightest spot of pink (two spots) in my spit, I tried to get any phleghmy substance out but there isn't any. I've just gotten on with my day.

I mean it has alarmed me ofcourse but not to the point where it feels like a massive weight and I want to fill my time with destructive behaviour. Definitely not like that, I feel the improvement in myself and I'm so proud of it because a year ago I was going nowhere.

I do hope whatever this is clears itself up quick and doesn't come back but it seems silly to me to worry myself when I feel like im in perfectly fine health otherwise.

I think it's okay to feel alarmed, I guess it's good to take some caution. Any normal person would. But I don't want to obsess over it, I feel like at this point in time if the problem doesn't persist or get worse I'm able to not obsess over it.

If it keeps happening ,for example if it happens tonight when I'm brushing my teeth then I'll probably feel some panic again.

But like I said I'm giving it two weeks to clear up, if it doesnt or gets worse by then, then I'll take it to the doctor.

[Magic]

My husband has been coughing phlegm up for a few weeks now. No blood though.
He went to the doctors on Monday and was given antibiotics.
Do you think the blood is coming from your gums after brushing your teeth?

[Mav]

My husband has been coughing phlegm up for a few weeks now. No blood though.
He went to the doctors on Monday and was given antibiotics.
Do you think the blood is coming from your gums after brushing your teeth?

No it's definately not my teeth, I'm 100% sure it's not teeth. It's definitly in the phlegm. The little streaks of blood were stuck into it the other night. I don't have a cough or anything. I'm perfectly healthy and fine..

---------- Post added at 21:23 ---------- Previous post was at 19:16 ----------

Still spitting out blood. A part of me feels like I'm spitting out blood because I've irritated the back of my tounge. The back of my tounge is sore and has some red raised spots. Perhaps it's that irritation that's making it bleed. I don't bleed without bushing, only with brushing. Perhaps I'm. Just irritating an area?

I do not like the persistence of this problem, is starting to bring me down..

[Mav]

So I brushed my mouth very lightly and no blood. I brushed the back of my mouth lightly and I got a light tiny spot of pink. What could this mean?perhaps the back of my tounge is irritated.

Or it could be coming from my throat but if it was coming from my throat then surely it would come out even when I wasn't brushing, it would come out when I was spitting too :/

[MyNameIsTerry]

It sounds like it's your tongue then. You've determined when it happens & when it doesn't and you have redness there so irrititation is causing some bleeding.

Why is your tongue red? Do you brush your tongue? So, maybe you've be pressing on a bit hard given a softer brushing hasn't yielded the same outcome?

Magic - I hope your husband is feeling better soon. :hugs:

[Mav]

It sounds like it's your tongue then. You've determined when it happens & when it doesn't and you have redness there so irrititation is causing some bleeding.

Why is your tongue red? Do you brush your tongue? So, maybe you've be pressing on a bit hard given a softer brushing hasn't yielded the same outcome?

Magic - I hope your husband is feeling better soon. :hugs:

Thankyoy for replying, yes I think it is my tounge. The back of my tounge felt sore yesterday and feels a bit tender today though better.

My mum said, if it was something to worrying about I would be able to spit out blood without brushing ans I agree with her.

I actually changed my toothbrush and it has very hard bristles and I must have just been brushing my tounge too hard. I only see the bits of blood when I brush the back of my tounge.

Anyway I have been gently brushing mouth and will continue to do so. Hopefully whatever it is will go away completely.

I'm proud of myself though. I got through a full day's work without a second thought. I only felt some anxiety when brushing my teeth tonight, other than that I felt okay throughout the day :) it feels good to be in control for once. I'm lucky to finally be in such a position.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Even if you spit blood without brushing it can still be other things like burst blood vessels. Often there are reasons like coughing, the brushing issue you have found, etc for bits of blood.

Changing your toothbrush for a harder one makes lots of sense. It's like when you start flossing or use an electric toothbrush, they tell you to expect some bleedig from gums until you get used to them. The same with your new brush, adjusting the pressure has sorted it.

So, you found the root cause & a practical solution as well keeping your anxiety down and getting on with you days. Lots to be proud of there!!! :yesyes::yahoo:

Can you look back and see the difference to where you are now? It can be quite an eye opener when you've turned that corner. Yet back then it felt so hopeless but now you have proof that yes you can do it and get better. So, any little blips, remember this.

[Mav]

Great it happened again -_- but it was just a tiny streak of red in my phlegm. Most days my spit is very clear and even after the streak it's clear so I keep reminding myself of that, theres also the fact that I feel absolutely fine. Better than fine actually!