My elderly mother has vomiting episodes of a clear thick mucous. Any suggestions on what might help? Drs haven’t been able to stop it. She is on Phenergan, Pepcid and Protonix, but it doesn’t stop it. She does have GERD, some dementia, and is bedridden. It is very frustrating to feed her what I think she can eat and then soon thereafter she’s throwing up.
It is possible that what she is vomiting is excess secretions that are building up.
When my Husband was on Hospice they gave me Atropine (off label use as it is normally used as an eye drop) that helped dry secretions.
This was about the time that I had to start thickening the liquids I gave him. Either using a product like ThickIt or by processing veggies in things like soup and stew.
This potentially can be a problem as it can lead to Aspiration Pneumonia quickly.
Avoid dairy and mom having an empty stomach in the meantime.
Good luck to you.
Key Suggestions & Adjustments
1. Adjust How You Feed Her
Feed Upleft: Keep your mother sitting fully upright during meals and for at least 30–60 minutes afterward to use gravity to keep contents down.
Smaller Portions: Offer 4 to 6 very small, high-calorie meals throughout the day instead of larger ones, which put less pressure on the esophagus.
Texture Check: Discuss the appropriateness of her diet with a speech-language pathologist. Thin liquids are often harder to swallow safely, whereas slightly thickened liquids or puréed foods might reduce irritation.
2. Manage the Mucus
Rule Out Dehydration: In older adults, dehydration causes mucus to become thick, tacky, and harder to clear.
Humidify: Use a bedside cool-mist humidifier to moisten the air and prevent secretions from hardening in the throat.
Oral Care: Frequent, gentle mouth swabs and using a soft oral suction device (similar to what dentists use) can help clear the thick mucus from the back of her throat before she feels the need to vomit.
3. Address Medications with Her Doctor
Review Meds: If Phenergan, Pepcid, and Protonix are not stopping the episodes, the root cause may not be excess stomach acid. It could be postnasal drip, a motility issue, or a side effect of other medications.
Alternative Formulations: For a bedridden patient with dementia, swallowing pills can trigger a gag reflex or lead to aspiration. Talk to her doctor about dissolving tablets, or liquid suspensions of her medications.
When to Seek Immediate Medical Help
Contact her physician immediately if you notice warning signs such as blood in the vomit, breathing difficulty, or signs of dehydration (dry mouth, sunken eyes, or extreme lethargy).
Because your mother is bedridden and managing multiple complex conditions (including dementia and GERD), she may benefit immensely from palliative care or a dedicated hospice team.
Consult your local care coordinators to explore these in-home support services—they provide specialized assistance with managing daily symptoms and can often supply vital medical equipment like suction machines.
(From Goggle Ai)
What you’re describing sounds like a Zenker’s diverticulum.
A Zenker’s diverticulum is a pouch that develops in the upper part of the esophagus (actually just above the esophagus, at the back of the throat). Food, pills, and saliva can collect in the pouch instead of going into the stomach.
Common symptoms include:
Regurgitation of undigested food hours after eating
Coughing or choking, especially at night
Bad breath (from food trapped in the pouch)
Difficulty swallowing
Gurgling sounds in the neck when swallowing
Recurrent aspiration or pneumonia
The person may suddenly bring up a mouthful of food or saliva that was swallowed much earlier
It is most common in older adults.
Diagnosis is usually made with a barium swallow (esophagram), which shows the pouch very clearly.
Treatment, if symptoms are significant, is often a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure or surgery to eliminate the pouch.
There are other types of esophageal diverticula, but in an elderly person who repeatedly regurgitates undigested food and saliva from a “sack,” Zenker’s diverticulum is the classic diagnosis.