It’s Snot Funny

This blog entry is another one that I wrote shortly after my first treatment for lymphoma, but was awaiting the right time and place to insert it.  Since many of you are suffering from the flu or allergies, and the fact that I won't get to enter a blog post on 2/29 for another 4 years, I elected to submit this entry today.  It may not be a palatable topic, but I hope you find it interesting and humorous (as I intended).

OK, maybe not one of my more clever titles or even one of the most appealing topics to cover.  But, admit it, you’ve always wondered why and how one person can produce so much snot.  If you’d prefer the word phlegm, boogers, mucus, well, I’m sorry.  I prefer the term snot!  It just sounds so definitive and slimy (and it is).   WARNING:  If you get a queasy stomach or you are currently eating, you may want to skip this blog entry or return to it at a later time. 

If you’ve read my earlier entries, you might remember that one of my earliest symptoms of lymphoma was an abundant cough and phlegm production.  We’re accustomed to loads of snot when we have a cold, so this didn’t surprise me, except when it only worsened and never went away.  Well, I’m happy to report that the mucus production and cough are vastly improved, even with the first treatment.  But, surprisingly, the nasal snot production is still often present.  The used Kleenex piles have created avalanche risks near my bedside table, family room table (next to my trusty recliner) and every car, bag, and purse I use, has a Kleenex supply handy.  We all know that snot/mucus serve to protect us from environmental invaders such as dust, viruses, pollen, etc. but why continuously produce it while you are fighting cancer?

After extensive research (I googled it on the internet), I’ve found that the average person produces about 1 liter of mucus every day.   That means, our bodies are constantly being assaulted by smoke and irritants from our environment that the mucus is trying to eliminate.  Well, initially in my illness as the lymph node masses in my chest were enlarging, they were compressing on the bronchioles which caused irritation.  Our natural defense mechanism to irritation is…mucus production.  So, I would cough up a lot of mucus.   (I now wished I had actually spit it into a bottle and measured the quantity so I could produce my own internet research!)  Nonetheless, when the cilia (little hairs in our airways that help clear mucus), get overwhelmed, it allows our nose to run rather than producing dried boogers and forces us to cough in order to clear our passageways.  Cold weather, decreases the cilia cells ability to function, which is why our nose becomes drippy when we are outside in the cold.

Although I implied that my snot production has increased with my cancer, I honestly think that the lymphoma primarily changed my habits.  Rather than swallow the mucus/snot throughout the day which is what most people do, I got in the habit of coughing it up or blowing it out because my swallowing mechanism was impaired.  My esophagus was also compressed by the lymph nodes such that rather than swallow, I would spit up the phlegm, cough or blow it out.  Now, any irritation in my nose, makes me want to blow it, rather than letting it go down its usual digestive course.

Yes, I know this wasn’t the most appealing topic, but in between naps, I have the time to ponder about such wonders of our body.  When you really get a chance to wonder, you realize the infinite complexities of the human body and the amazing adaptations that we have produced to survive.  Snot is just one of these wonders but no less important.  So, think about that, the next time you blow your nose or cough up some phlegm.  Your snot is there to save you!

Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.  ~ Neil Armstrong