Question:
Hello, I have had sinus infection's for over 10 yrs now. I recently
had a cat-scan & found that I have a deviated septum. I will be
having septum surgery pretty soon & was wondering if anyone knows
why I would have blood in my phlem. When I wake up in the morning, I
always cough up a lot of phlem but have noticed in the past few
months, I also have experienced some blood in my phlem & also when
I blow my nose. I also have some green phlem that I cough up. I
brought it to my ENT doctor's attention & he had no idea why I had
blood in my phlem. I was reading on the internet that its possibly due
to infection. Can you also tell me if having the surgery will aleviate
the excess phlem & coughing that I experience.

Answer:
Is it really dry where you live? Sometimes when it is really dry where
I live, the same thing happens...However, green phlem as well as blood
could very well be a sign of infection. I would get a second opinion
since you ENT isn't sure why you are having these problems. Also, try
a humidifier and see if that helps as well. It's worked wonders for my
family. Mrs. G.

Answer:
Hello Mrs. G. I live in Oregon (near Portland) & have lived here
my entire life. Im not sure how dry it is, but I have this problem
year round & have had it for at least 15 yrs. The bloody phlegm is
a new problem for me & Ive taken antibotics (Bactrim) for years
& it helps take away the infection. However, it seems like in the
past year or so, Im having more frequent infections & I dont want
to keep taking antibiotics the rest of my life. I just had an
infection in January & now have one again. I also feel worn out
& dont have a lot of energy..a lot of times i just want to crawl
back into bed on the weekends & sleep. I also have IBS & I
take Hyoscyamin .375mg which really dries me out. Im wondering if this
could be the problem for my more frequent infections? i will try the
humidifier as you advised. It makes me a little nervous that the
doctor who is performing my septum surgery, doesn't know why I have
blood in my phlegm. Iv'e been reassured that he is a wonderful doctor
who has performed surgery for over 9 yrs. Just this morning I coughed
up blood in the shower & then blew my nose & was a little
green w/some blood as well. I also have a lot of clear phlegm when I
blow my nose every morning. Can having a deviated septum be the cause
of all these problems? Ive been to an allergist several yrs ago &
they really didn't find that I was allergic to anything.

Answer:
Hey, Sorry it took so long to reply! I hope you are feeling better
and that you tried the humidifier. If so, how'd it work? Mrs. G