One Sinus Has Continuous Glob of Snot

Allergy, Nose & Sinus

Thick mucous in your nose or phlegm? It may be coming from your sinuses! (WARNING – SOME GRAPHIC MEDICAL IMAGES & VIDEO)

February 10, 2020

Recently, Dr Gan saw a patient, Mr A who has been suffering from blocked nose, yellow-brown nose mucous and headaches for close to half a year. In addition, he also coughs out thick pieces of phlegm almost on a daily basis. He has seen many doctors and has been treated with multiple courses of antibiotics, nose washes and nose sprays which does relieve some of his symptoms. However, he was frustrated that he constantly spits out clumps of thick brown mucous and had persistent headaches despite these treatments. When he saw Dr Gan, a scope through his nose was performed in the clinic. His nose was congested but there were no signs of sinusitis such as pus, or swelling near the drainage pathway of the sinuses. However, in view of his clinical history, a CT scan (series of special X-rays) of his nose and sinuses was performed. It showed that he had infection of most of his sinuses, with the sinuses at the back of his nose known as the sphenoid sinuses completed filled with inspissated mucous (in a normal CT scan of the sinuses, the sinuses should be completely filled with air and appears black. In Mr A's case, his sphenoid sinuses were completely grey – i.e. completely  filled with mucous!)

A front on CT image of the sphenoid sinuses showing complete blockage

A CT image showing the sphenoid sinus (from a side view) that is completely filled with mucous (appears grey on the scan)

Mr A underwent sinus surgery to clear his infections. During surgery, inspissated mucous was found stuck in his sphenoid sinuses. This resulted in polyps and severe swelling in the sinuses. The consistency of this mucous is typical of "Allergic or Eosinophilic Mucin". This is a subtype of sinusitis (either Eosinophilic Mucinous Rhinosinusitis or Allergic Fungal Rhinosinusitis) that is difficult to treat and often, a combination of sinus surgery and medication is required to keep the condition under control.

Thick mucous was found in the sphenoid sinus during surgery

It has been just over 6 weeks since Mr A's sinus surgery. He no longer suffers from the nasal symptoms that used to impair his quality of life. His days of constant headaches and spitting out clumps of phlegm are over (hopefully forever! – fingers crossed). Although majority of sinusitis can be treated with medications, it is important to understand that if the sinusitis is recurrent, have failed medical treatments or is of a certain subtype (e.g fungal, allergic fungal or eosinophilic mucin rhinosinusitis), surgical intervention may be required in addition to medical treatments. Mr A has been advised to keep his disease under control with daily nasal steroid washes.  Fluctuation in disease states and relapses can occur with this subtype of sinusitis. Hence, regular and long term surveillance is of paramount importance.

When Should You See An ENT Specialist In Singapore?

• Any Ear, Nose or Throat symptoms that you are troubled with or concerned of
• Persistent blocked nose with mouth breathing or snoring

Dr Gan Eng Cern

Dr Gan Eng Cern is a fellowship trained Consultant Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Surgeon. He completed his ENT training in Singapore and obtained his subspecialty training in Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery at the world renowned St Paul's Sinus Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. He was also a Senior Clinical Lecturer at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. Dr Gan was an avid researcher with numerous publications in reputable international ENT journals. He was also an invited speaker and surgical dissection teacher in many ENT conferences and courses.

Awards

• 2020 – Reader's Choice Gold Award for Best ENT Specialist
  (Expat Living Singapore)
• 2016 – Best Educator Award (Eastern Health Alliance)
• 2016 – "Wow" Award (Patient Compliment)
• 2014 – Eastern Health Alliance Caring Award – Silver
• 2014 – 19th Yahya Cohen Memorial Lectureship (awarded by the College
  of Surgeons, Academy of Medicine Singapore for best scientific surgical
  paper)
• 2012 – Human Manpower Development Award (Ministry of Health,
  Singapore)
• 2007 – Singhealth Best Doctor Award

Qualifications

• MBBS - Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia)
• MRCS (Edin) - Member of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, United Kingdom
• MMed (ORL) - Master of Medicine in ENT (National University of Singapore)
• FAMS - Fellow of the Academy of Medicine Singapore

Why Choose Dr Gan Eng Cern

1

Reliable & Reputable ENT Expert

Experienced and patient ENT Specialist who has your best interests at heart. We aim to provide you with accessible and specialized care for any ENT condition in a comfortable setting.

2

Friendly & Helpful Clinic Staff

Our friendly staff will assist you to the best of our ability and we are happy to accept most insurance providers and assist with E-filing with relevant insurance providers or Medisave.

3

Advanced ENT Equipment & Fully Equipped Facility

Our ENT Specialist, Dr Gan Eng Cern, will be able to diagnose and offer personalised treatments for your specific ENT condition. You can expect a high level of ENT care in a spacious setting with in-house minor surgical, endoscopy, allergy testing and microscopy services.

4

Financial Options

There are various financial options available for you to ensure that you are able to receive the most optimal treatment and care. Our ENT clinic staff will be able to assist you with your medical insurance claims and work with your chosen healthcare organization to minimize the hassle and paperwork required. In some cases, you may be able to utilise the funds in your Medisave account to defray part of the costs of your treatment. As our clinic is accredited by the Medisave board, we are able to process your claims from your Medisave for certain clinic procedures.

Our ENT Clinic

Dr Gan's Blog

Read some of our latest articles about Ear, Nose and Throat ( ENT ) Health.

macandiehaddince1971.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.drganent.com/blog/thick-mucous-in-your-nose-or-phlegm-it-may-be-coming-from-your-sinuses-warning-some-graphic-medical-images-videos/

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