Mother (91) has mucus stuck in her throat and I can't get her to cough. Does anybody have ideas on how to get it out?

This sounds like aspiration to me. Please call her doctor and if he tells you to go to the ER to get her suctioned and seen by medical staff, please do so.

Your mother needs medical attention. I just went through this with one of my family members.

This can really effect the amount of oxygen she gets.

Your mother needs a swallowing assessment. This can be done by a nurse with the right training, a doctor, or a speech and language therapist. I should call your PCP, GP or the nearest urgent treatment unit for advice.

It sounds like your Mother has developed "chronic dysphagia" or chronic difficulties with swallowing. This is not uncommon with people your Mother's age. Your Mother needs to be seen by her doctor (or an ER doctor) as soon as it can arranged and swallowing studies (barium swallow x-rays) need to done to determine if she does have dysphagia.

If she has chronic dysphagia then she will need to be seen by a Speech Therapist and/or a Dietitian who can help her learn different ways to swallow and who can help determine which liquids and foods your Mother can and cannot have. Even ice cream and pudding and jello (or any food that is in liquid form at room temperature) are considered as "liquids" and may have to be limited.

Dysphagia happens more often in babies and the elderly. Each person has difficulty swallowing different types of solid and liquid food or even their own saliva. There are different causes of dysphagia- old age, neurological health problems, Parkinson's, dementia, MS, etc.

Signs of dysphagia or difficulty swallowing:
-choking
-coughing (especially after eating food or taking a drink)
-hoarseness
-pain when swallowing
-sore throat
-feeling that food is stuck behind your breastbone
-burning sensation behind your breastbone (a classic sign of heartburn)

Since your Mother had trouble right after "she ate some soup and drank some water" means that her problem is mostly a chronic (or recurring) condition and cannot be "fixed" by a breathing treatment. Her problem of swallowing liquids can only be "treated" with thickened liquids, learning different swallowing techniques, avoidance of certain liquids and foods, and so forth. If she aspirates some of that liquid or food or saliva into her lungs then she has a risk of developing "aspiration pneumonia".

Please contact your Mother's doctor TODAY and make an appointment to see him/her ASAP. The longer you wait to have your Mother evaluated for dysphagia, the more likely she is to develop aspiration pneumonia and the more likely she is to become gravely ill or need to be hospitalized.

I suppose you can call her doctor. Call an urgent care place and see what they say.

Best wishes to you and your mom.

Was the nurse concerned?

This may not apply to your situation but it reminds me of when my mother began to show signs of aspirating her saliva as she neared the end of life, suction was only a temporary solution.