For over a year now I've had this problem, and it's getting steadily worse, and my GP doesn't know what it is, so can any of you fine chaps throw me a bone here?

Some background first - I've always had problems with my ENT bits. When I was a kid I got terrible earaches and had to have my tonsils removed and a vent placed in one ear. I always seem to have a runny/blocked up nose, and coughing up phlegm has never been uncommon for me. Decongestants and other medications never seemed to make a difference (nor did my tonsil/vent operation).

The current problem is quite specific and quite pronounced, in that I get an [enormous] build-up of phlegm in my throat immediately after (or sometimes during) a meal. Actually, it doesn't even have to be a meal, even a few biscuits or an apple or something like that will cause a substantial phlegm build-up. There is so much phlegm that I can barely breath, and I can hear it gurgling with every inhalation. So, after every meal I have a little ritual where I go to the bathroom and spend a good 10 minutes coughing this crap up, much to the dismay of my family, and of course much to my own dismay. It's soul-destroying.

During the day, phlegm is almost always caused by eating something, but at night when I'm laying in bed I tend to have at least 3 or 4 bouts of this coughing up ritual without having eaten anything. First thing in the morning is always a treat, with a nice big wad of phlegm waiting to be coughed up.

I'm afraid to eat out because of this; I don't wanna put the other restaurant attendees off their dinner by hearing me in the bathroom hocking up lung-butter for 10 minutes haha. And like I said, it's soul-destroying to have to go through this every time I eat/wake up.

When I went to my GP I was given a blood test and a sputum test. The blood test showed nothing, and the sputum test showed "something" but I don't know what. As a result, the GP prescribed Distaclor which didn't work. So, back at square one it seems!

Any ideas as to what this may be?