Nagging cough (1 Viewer)

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0rion

0rion

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For months now I've had a wicked nagging cough. Thinking back it seems to have started about September. I would get out of breath doing anything strenuous like cutting wood and I would be completely out of breath.....to the point I would have to sit down for awhile to recover. Early on I just assumed I was just grossly out of shape. I hunted all fall and had trouble hiking in and then climbing the tree in my stand....again....just thought I was out of shape. It seemed to progress though and got to where it took less and less to get out of breath and then the coughing started.

Went to the Dr a couple times about it and he adjusted my BP medicine because one of the side effects was a cough. Didn't help. Went back again and he sent me to a cardiologist where they did a chest x-ray and a echocardiogram and all looked fine. Went back again and he put me on an inhaler which did nothing. Went back again and now have an appointment to see a lung guy. Been 3 weeks since that was made as that's the soonest I could get in. Been a long 3 weeks. I cough daily almost all day long. My lungs wheeze 24/7 now and I cough so much my back and chest are constantly sore.
I can't wait to see this guy Monday and maybe get some answers or hopefully some relief. I'm totally over coughing. I've been taking Mucinex the last week and it does seem to help but not a ton.
Anyone else ever dealt with anything like this? I try to stay off the internet searching because that usually just gives me more diseases to worry about. I smoked in my youth but haven't in 15 years. Hard not to think the worst but I'm trying not to go there. My kids need me around so I'm not ready for the worst.
 
0rion said:
For months now I've had a wicked nagging cough. Thinking back it seems to have started about September. I would get out of breath doing anything strenuous like cutting wood and I would be completely out of breath.....to the point I would have to sit down for awhile to recover. Early on I just assumed I was just grossly out of shape. I hunted all fall and had trouble hiking in and then climbing the tree in my stand....again....just thought I was out of shape. It seemed to progress though and got to where it took less and less to get out of breath and then the coughing started.

Went to the Dr a couple times about it and he adjusted my BP medicine because one of the side effects was a cough. Didn't help. Went back again and he sent me to a cardiologist where they did a chest x-ray and a echocardiogram and all looked fine. Went back again and he put me on an inhaler which did nothing. Went back again and now have an appointment to see a lung guy. Been 3 weeks since that was made as that's the soonest I could get in. Been a long 3 weeks. I cough daily almost all day long. My lungs wheeze 24/7 now and I cough so much my back and chest are constantly sore.
I can't wait to see this guy Monday and maybe get some answers or hopefully some relief. I'm totally over coughing. I've been taking Mucinex the last week and it does seem to help but not a ton.
Anyone else ever dealt with anything like this? I try to stay off the internet searching because that usually just gives me more diseases to worry about. I smoked in my youth but haven't in 15 years. Hard not to think the worst but I'm trying not to go there. My kids need me around so I'm not ready for the worst.
Click to expand...

Do you have any issues with acid reflux or GERD? I had a similar situation in that I had a cough that persisted for months and would not go away. After going down every conventional cough cure avenue and all resulting in failure, it actually turned out it was due to stomach acid burning my esophagus and throat so badly they were in a state of constant irritation and causing me to cough uncontrollably. One over the counter PPI regimen and some diet and lifestyle changes later and the cough was gone in a couple of weeks. It can also be caused by "silent" reflux, so even if you aren't dealing with active symptoms may be something to look into.
 
I've heard that before. It would have to be silent because I really never get heartburn. I'm wondering if it isn't bronchial though because of the Mucinex helping? It's just all guesses until I find the right Dr to figure it out. It's just been a long 3 weeks waiting to go to the lung guy. Mentally taxing.
 
years ago i was placed on high blood pressure meds. I had the same thing happen to me, it also happened during deer season which sucked trying to hunt and coughing the entire time. They changed the diuretic i was on and it fixed the problem.
 
Have you thought of allergies? I suffer in a big way to the point of looking like I am hungover, which I have been accused of by my boss. I do have a cough in the morning but it does taper off after about an hour.
 
So, at no point did any of them listen to your lungs? They ruled out bronchitis or anything worse?

There was a nasty cold virus that ran though here in the fall. I was sick for two weeks, and after it cleared up, it turned into bronchitis. I was on an steroids for a week, and an inhaler for weeks. It took like a month or two to completely clear.
 
zeetes said:
agree, acid reflux can definitely be the culprit
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I had this also. Eventually had to have the GERD surgery. I had an awful time during the surgery. I started bleeding out and the Surgeon had to call in another Doctor ot assist. They had to removemy spleen to stop it. I spent several days in ICU and then two more weeks after that in the hospital. However, when all was said and done, my cough almost stopped entirely and now with a nightly Zantac (150 mg), I am virtually cough free.
 
0rion said:
For months now I've had a wicked nagging cough. Thinking back it seems to have started about September. I would get out of breath doing anything strenuous like cutting wood and I would be completely out of breath.....to the point I would have to sit down for awhile to recover. Early on I just assumed I was just grossly out of shape. I hunted all fall and had trouble hiking in and then climbing the tree in my stand....again....just thought I was out of shape. It seemed to progress though and got to where it took less and less to get out of breath and then the coughing started.

Went to the Dr a couple times about it and he adjusted my BP medicine because one of the side effects was a cough. Didn't help. Went back again and he sent me to a cardiologist where they did a chest x-ray and a echocardiogram and all looked fine. Went back again and he put me on an inhaler which did nothing. Went back again and now have an appointment to see a lung guy. Been 3 weeks since that was made as that's the soonest I could get in. Been a long 3 weeks. I cough daily almost all day long. My lungs wheeze 24/7 now and I cough so much my back and chest are constantly sore.
I can't wait to see this guy Monday and maybe get some answers or hopefully some relief. I'm totally over coughing. I've been taking Mucinex the last week and it does seem to help but not a ton.
Anyone else ever dealt with anything like this? I try to stay off the internet searching because that usually just gives me more diseases to worry about. I smoked in my youth but haven't in 15 years. Hard not to think the worst but I'm trying not to go there. My kids need me around so I'm not ready for the worst.
Click to expand...

Sounds like Asthma mixed with an allergic response to your environment. Might need a mix of a few things like a daily allergy pill (Allegra or Zyrtec), Singular (Montelukast), and Albuterol treatments (with a nebulizar at first until it's under control, then an inhaler as needed).

https://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/allergic-asthma#1

It takes a while to diagnose because doctors naturally go through all of the other short term possibilities first, and there are a lot with coughing. I got this a few years back and was admitted to the hospital two different times because they thought I had pneumonia. They even made me take a stress test because they thought I might have had a heart attack. Turns it was just this and it was out of control. Took a while to find the right mix of meds to control it.

I traced the root of the problem back to backyard work in the early spring when I removed and cut down weeds in my back yard and removing black mold from our bathroom without wearing proper respiratory protection. Unfortunately it's not something that's curable, you just have to manage it.
 
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T.P. said:
Have you thought of allergies? I suffer in a big way to the point of looking like I am hungover, which I have been accused of by my boss. I do have a cough in the morning but it does taper off after about an hour.
Click to expand...

Same with me. I get lots of post nasal drip usually in the morning. Doctor advised me on some sort of humidifier. Which I may invest in. I’m also on Nasacort and Allegra and it seems to be helping but it takes a couple of days of using for it to kick in. I’m looking into a humidifier. Anyone had a humidifier? Does it work for the allergies &coughing?
 
Doc has me on singulair for allergies but made no difference. The BP medicine I was on was a combo pill I think. He stopped that one and kept me on hctz and added amlodipine. I since started taking a beta blocker because my pressure was still a little high. He also gave me an Albuterol inhaler but I rarely use it because it makes zero difference. The only thing that's even somewhat helped is the Mucinex. I've noticed I don't cough near as much when taking that but my lungs are still trashy all the time.
They've all listened to my lungs but really haven't shared much with me other than they sound congested and one said the lower right was worse than the other. Things I already knew. I'm really hoping this lung guy can figure it out. My wife is an RN and has worked with this guy before and says he's good so fingers crossed. Thanks for listening and the advice. Not looking for a cure on a message board but talking it out helps me mentally. I've talked to the wife about it a few times but that's much more personal and the "what if's" hit home alot more. She tends to think bronchitis or COPD type stuff....I go right to cancer because I'm terrified of leaving her and my kids. I'm trying to have a "wait and see" attitude but it's tough.
 

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