I’ve Got Blood in My Phlegm!?!?
Question by Katrina15: I’ve got blood in my phlegm!?!?
I’ve had a bit of a cold for the past few days, had a bit of a fever on Monday night, and a slight temperature yesterday. This morning i’m still feeling a bit stuffy, but i’ve got up and ended up ‘hocking’ up some phlegm to unclog my sinuses. Yes I know it sounds gross, but everybody does it.
Anyways, there was a lump of pinky red blood in there! Needless to say it startled me a little. Anyone any ideas what it is/why it’s there?
Thanks in advance.
Best answer:
Answer by free:eli
Hi there, pinkish red blood in the phlegm can mean a few things. Pinkish phlegm can indicate pulmonary edema (excess fluid in the lung capillaries and tissues). Shortness of breath usually coincides with this, and pulmonary edema indicates right sided heart failure. Definately something you want to get checked out.
Another thing that blood in the phlegm can indicate is tuberculosis, a very serious and highly contagious respiratory infection. Here’s something I found on a website describing the symptoms:
“The individual may get tired easily, feel slightly feverish or cough frequently. It usually goes away by itself, but about in about half the cases, it will return.
For people who have the disease, TB can cause lung or pleural (the lining of the lung) disease or it may spread through the body via the blood. Often people do not seek the advice of a doctor until they have pronounced symptoms, such as pleurisy (a sharp pain in the chest when breathing deeply or coughing) or the spitting up of blood. Neither of these symptoms is solely of tuberculosis, but they should not be ignored. Other symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, weight loss and night sweats.”
If you aren’t experiencing any of the above symptoms, than think back to what you ate before coughing up the pinkish sputum. Any cranberry juice or jello?
And the last thing I was thinking it could be is a nose bleed type thing. You know what I’m saying? Sometimes when I have a cold I get bloody noses, and it’s possible that the blood can drain down in a post nasal drip type fashion and get hocked up with phlegm.
Either way, the main thing is to look at all the symptoms you are having, and pay attention to the color of your sputum for the next few days. If it continues to be pink and blood tinged, I would definately make a doctor’s appointment. Good luck, and God bless!
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