Chronic Cough !!!!!!

[Yellow_Festiva]

Ok, I had the same as you.

I started a dry cough mid october last year, 3 courses of antibiotics, 1 course of steroids and 2 doctors opinions got me SFA.

When I did cough, it was dry and wouldnt stop. I sounded like death, and had to take 2 days off.

Then I got pains swallowing, and was refered to a ENT specialist. I started to make the calls for a booking by this time early Jan, and didnt get an appointment till first week of Feb. This was the best I could get, I had 3 doctors to call and some were not available till mid April!

By the time I went to see the specialist, the cough was all but gone. But I still went as a feared that the pain swallowing was a throat cancer.

My consultation was 5 minutes, then I got a camera down the back of the throat via the nose and that took all of 2 minutes.

An all clear was given.... $310 thankyouverrymuch... I think I got hmmm $150?? $170?? back from medicare however.

My x-rays came up all clear as well.

I was as stumped as you, and still am! I was getting very worried, as my aunt has had this cough for 20 years and I was pooping myself if I was going to end up like that.

I don't know what else to say? If your not in pain perhaps try to just let it pass? But, you may end up like me, with no answer to the problem and just letting it pass naturally??

I know what your going through, hope it gets sorted in your favour.

[Fev]

that sounds like the specialist with my buldging disc in my lower spine.. There are no operations or treatments for it.. apparently anyway

[Falc'man]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS I HAVE DEVELOPED A COUGH WHICH COMES AND GOES. it is becoming more so than less .
decmber 2006 had a cough that lasted 3 months . had blood tests and all was ok , this was put down to summer post viral cough , by a doctor.
september 2007 had bad flue which side lined me for 1 week . had to stop training ( exercising for 2 months as i had no energy. )
december 2007 coughing started again
january, after 6 weeks i go and get a chest x'ray , which shows all clear, then cough gets better ( stops) 2 weeks later cough starts again , now 3 weeks and cough is more consistant .
i have never had astham or bronchitis or respitory illness in my life .
anyone else suffer from this .
it's like a dry smokers cough , except , i dont smoke.
coug lollies work . they mask the problem . ventilin sometimes stops the coughing and sometimes makes it worse.
sometimes i just have a coughing fit .
all i have to do is raise my chin up and i will cough .
if i laugh it turns into a cough . i have no idea what this could be ??
blood test clear 12 months ago, and recent chest xray x
clear .
it's more frustrating than sick, a cold drink can cause a coughing fit. and a 1/2hr hard workout on a rowing or running machine doesnt make me cough or be short of breath.

anyone else suufer these symptoms ?
i'll have to go back to a doctor and look further into it .

my GUESS IS after doing youtube searches , the yanks have come up with a new previously undiagnosed form of ASTHMA . I THINK THEY REFER TO IT AS COUGH INTRUSIVE ASTHMA , WITH NO OTHER SYMPTOMS ???

Hi mate. Try some vix vapor rub on your feet under your socks.

I haven't tried it myself (since I haven't had any coughing problems yet), but all who've tried this say it works for some silly reason.

[Mansal]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

mate last night i OD'D on ventilin . as i said sometimes it works, sometimes it makes it worse .
'
8 puffs of ventilin last night , to try and nip it in the butt , ended up with a dryer cough then ever and a burning feeling in my lungs combined wit a racing heart, and insomnia all night . as i remembered that ventolin is a dirivitive of speed.

Unsure I can advise you, but you can consider my chronic cough history as guidance.

20+ years ago I started developing a cough similar to what you describe. Diagnosed as viral, doctors couldn't pinpoint a specific diagnosis. Xrays, Bronchitis, Ventolin and many moons later the cough eventually became chronic, during specific periods of the year.

Eventually my doctors boiled it down to an Allergy-induced Asthma. My allergy is at its worst during these change-of weather periods (autumn/spring). These past couple days in Melb with the outgoing summer has flared things up for me again.

I have/take as required a Reliever - Bricanyl, a form of Ventolin. When things are really bad I also need to take a Preventer - Pulmicort - as well. I've been on the stuff since I was 15 or 16 (now much older!). Thankfully I now only take my puffer when my coughs are really bad (which they haven't been for almost 5 years now).

There you go, not a diagnosis, but at least it's confirmation that such an indescribable/undiagnosable chronic condition exists (more than once in AFF!). Retrospectively I cannot pinpoint specifically WHAT caused my condition, but two facts I can swear by:
1) My allergenic coughing mainly occurs during season-changing weather (in particular summer-autumn and winter-spring)

2) My condition has considerably improved over the years. All of this started for me when I was 12yo. Now in my early three-zeros my allergy is barely noticable (i haven't used my puffers for over 12 months now, but I keep the prescription going just in case). So I guess it gets better over time

[DOC]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

all i have to do is raise my chin up and i will cough . if i laugh it turns into a cough .???

GT you must save hundreds on doctors bills, every ailment is posted.

Anyway here is the Doc's solution, I have seen this before in my internet travells. To fix the problems as outlined above. 1. Always look down at your shoes 2. never smile If these methods do not work i will send in my assistant

She will grab a hold of the goolies and get you to cough, and from then on, things should be looking up and you will have a smile.

[Mansal]

...Also another thing that's sprung to mind.

You might want to see an Osteopath. Sometimes they're able to find something as a result of skeletal/muscular misalignment (yep, it can happen, a misalignment can pinch blood vessels to a point where blood flow is compromised in a bodily area).

Two cases I can think of from experience:
1) my sister has been suffering 'the shakes' for a few weeks now, had a bad episode one day, ended up at RMH Emergency. Three days later the neurologists couldn't pinpoint any specific neurological cause.

She goes to this Osteopath, finds that she suffered a ribcage compression that 'knocked things out of whack' to a point where a blood vessel was pinched, compromising blood supply to her upper body, causing the shakes. Since massage she's much better now (case ongoing).

2) My newborn daughter - born under c-section. Suffered badly from colic (wind pain). Osteopath finds that her sternum was misalgned during delivery (when they pulled her out). One treatment later (she's booked for a couple more) and it already doesn't bother her anymore.


Bottom line, you might want to try an osteopath - the one for my daughter only cost $40 for the consultation. Maybe they might find something, maybe not.

[HenryV8]

Have you had a colonoscopy? If so, did the doctors get their camera back? It might have worked it's way through your colon, intestines, stomach, gullet, and into your mouth, where you have inadvertently breathed it in. Its then got stuck in your wind pipe, become infected, the consequent pus is dripping into your lungs, and this is causing your cough.

Seems straight forward enough to me.

Unlike Dr Bastard GP, I am a specialist. Send me $110.

[Yaw]

mate, like its been said ....SEE a DOCTOR!!!

However having said that, are you on any medication for high blood pressure, I know a side affect from Coversyl can be coughing.
Check any meds you take regularly and google them and look at possible side effects and make sure you tell your doctor what other meds you may be on.

[fangq]

Originally Posted by FordACE

That's true too. But what good has the doctor done for him so far? Some are as useless as poo on a stick.

Get a referral to a specialist. Simple really.
Steve

[Gammaboy]

Originally Posted by DOC

She will grab a hold of the goolies and get you to cough, and from then on, things should be looking up and you will have a smile.

$220 an hour is probably cheaper than a specialist?

[Fev]

$220 an hour is cheap as chips over a specialist.. they charge you $150 just to open the door.. from then on its debt collector territory

[Dave_au]

Do you guys get reflux/indigestion at all?

Has this been considered? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroesophageal_reflux

It can cause coughing, I actually had a friend who had a persistant cough which turned out to be caused from GERD with Barrett's Disease, it ended up going away once he was on losec/nexium protein pump inhibitors.

[mattp]

See a doctor mate. Any 'knowledge' gleaned from the internet etc should be used as a springboard to seeing your doc and raising anything you suspect it may be with him/her. A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, especially in medicine, and medical practitioners won't treat online since there's no way to get a complete history and examination required to make a diagnosis. ENT specialist might be your best bet if it's an irritation type cough, but talk to your doc and they can refer you if they think it's appropriate. All the best with it.

[paule11]

Sounds Like zinc deficency

I had a similar problem ended up coughing up blood went to a party ate 3 dozen oysters the next day I didnt cough for the first time in about a year .

I had a zinc deficency I now take chelated zinc tablets.

The doctors give you a little bar of zinc you put it on your tongue if it tastes good you have a deficency if it tastes disgusting you dont have a deficiency .

I went to a few doctors they had no idea

[plext]

As has been pointed out once or twice, this is probably not the best place to seek medical advice.

I would direct you here, here, or most likely here as possible GP haunts.

[mik]

try another doctor , i had a few visits with the local clinic doctor he was useless as tits on a bull, the next bloke gave me anti biotics and a turbo haler ............good result, he did sat that damage to lungs can take a long time to recover.

[Duke]

FWIW - A cough I developed over a period of time was diagnosed as the flu, many moons later when it was still evident I saw another Doc who prescribed "the strongest cough medicine available".

When it still didn't pass I saw another Doc who was just about ready to prescribe some other cough wonder drug when he suddenly stopped, looked at me, slapped his forehead and said "dummy - why didn't I realise - you have the Coversyl cough"

I was taking coversyl for over a year which is a blood pressure pill. Apparentely it affects some people that thay develop chronic dry coughing. I ceased the coversyl and over a period of 3 months the cough went away.

I have yet to return to another blood pressure treatment - but I should.

[Tha Jack]

Originally Posted by plext

As has been pointed out once or twice, this is probably not the best place to seek medical advice.

I would direct you here, here, or most likely here as possible GP haunts.

Plext..That is funny!

[gtfpv]

ahhhhhhh an interesting mix of replies . serious, humour, redicule, and good luck.

a shall try to reply to all these in one post. 1st of all the purpose of this thread is to see what others have done if they've had similar symptoms , ( NOT MEDICAL ADVICE)
HUMOUR!! Thanks, a good laugh is always good medicine.
ridicule !!! you guys need to de stress try working a bit less.
good luck !!! thanks guys
i enjoy all responses , it's nice to know there are many many things i can try if i do not get any results .

the ZINC deficiency one is very interesting , i'm not coughing blood , but the cough is the same . it's a shame swallowing oysters taste like swallowing snot, other wise i'd give this a go. seriously though i'd rate this one highly as a possible cause .
and thanks to the many others who have had similar times , amazing some of the causes people have been diagnosed .

i have gone back to a doctor as i was always going to , and have been referred to a respiritory specialist, as the GP SAID THERE ARE MANY MANY MORE tests avialable to go to find a cause.
in the meantime she has prescribed me ( FLIXOTIDE) a steroid puffer, she says if in 1 week your cough is completely gone , than it is a high chance i have asthma, but not a certainty, as the respitory specialist will find out .
the GP is suspecting an allergy, but says she is only guessing , as my lungs sound clear, the chest xray is clear, and blood test from 12 months ago for all allergies was clear , when i seeked treatment for this before, and anti biotics didn't work.
i'm booked in for another current blood test as well .
cheers. cough cough!!!!

[gtfpv]

DOC , i could use your assistent for many remedies , such as headache, stress, aching muscles, depression, anxiety,counsilling,beer drinking,problem solving/or creating, tension, a sore thumb, shaving rash, tight shoes, whats her number. ???

[DOC]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

DOC , i could use your assistent for many remedies , such as headache, stress, aching muscles, depression, anxiety,counsilling,beer drinking,problem solving/or creating, tension, a sore thumb, shaving rash, tight shoes, whats her number. ???

1800 XXXNURSE

[SB076]

Straight scotch will fix a cough, at least it seems to work for me

[mik]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

ahhhhhhh an interesting mix of replies . serious, humour, redicule, and good luck.

a shall try to reply to all these in one post. 1st of all the purpose of this thread is to see what others have done if they've had similar symptoms , ( NOT MEDICAL ADVICE)
HUMOUR!! Thanks, a good laugh is always good medicine.
ridicule !!! you guys need to de stress try working a bit less.
good luck !!! thanks guys
i enjoy all responses , it's nice to know there are many many things i can try if i do not get any results .

the ZINC deficiency one is very interesting , i'm not coughing blood , but the cough is the same . it's a shame swallowing oysters taste like swallowing snot, other wise i'd give this a go. seriously though i'd rate this one highly as a possible cause .
and thanks to the many others who have had similar times , amazing some of the causes people have been diagnosed .

i have gone back to a doctor as i was always going to , and have been referred to a respiritory specialist, as the GP SAID THERE ARE MANY MANY MORE tests avialable to go to find a cause.
in the meantime she has prescribed me ( FLIXOTIDE) a steroid puffer, she says if in 1 week your cough is completely gone , than it is a high chance i have asthma, but not a certainty, as the respitory specialist will find out .
the GP is suspecting an allergy, but says she is only guessing , as my lungs sound clear, the chest xray is clear, and blood test from 12 months ago for all allergies was clear , when i seeked treatment for this before, and anti biotics didn't work.
i'm booked in for another current blood test as well .
cheers. cough cough!!!!

have you had the priick test..........? they ask your wife how you treat her
hahahahahcat sorry it just came to me:forgive my attempt at humour, they they stick you in the arm then swab you with all of these different household chemicals, fur ,different soaps, all types of stuff then wait wait for a while and see what you react too, i had all that and they found nothing, a good doc is the key i reckon the last bloke i saw was also skilled in acupunture and had the alphabet after his name, keep plugging youll get there.

[gtfpv]

AN UPDATE. THE COUGH IS FINALLY 95% GONE .
it is still there but only just, i hope it will go completely.
i seen a respiritory specialist yesterday.
after taking , anti biotics then ventilon, then flixitide( steroid inhalor) , then more antibiotics, then perscription cough medicine, then more antibiotics , then prednisone tablets, and zinc tablets, combined wit blood pressure medication, and cholesterol medication,
and having multiple blood tests and chest x'rays , only to be told that nothing is wrong , and none of the meds are working , and getting worse and depressed to a point where i'd accepted i'm going to die, and wondering when to give up work, and get all my details in order, i decided to stop taking all the medicine. since then i have been getting better.
the respiritory specialist tested my lung function, which is normal, and reviewed my tests, and x'rays . and took all my vitals .
she came to the conclusion that as i am 39, have irregular sleep pattern due to rotating shift work, which also gives me an irregular appetite, combined with working extra hours with a 2nd job and being 10kg overwieght, which has caused me to start snoring, which inturn makes me susceptible to throat and respiritory infections, which makes way to bacterial infections, combined with all the other factors, is leaving my body having a hard time trying to fight infections, she says i'm doing everything now like i was 20 years ago, and even though i can do it, i'm fighting a losing battle.
she proceeded to ask me how long i can work shift work physically hard climbing all over cranes at all hours, for .
another 10 years i replied, she said perhaps, but you might just find that your cough might stick with you, untill you become more normal in middle age and start working monday to friday in a more sedate job.
i was flabbergasted.
she also said she knows i'm considered average in weight , by standard assumption , but not by medical assumption, she said all men or 90% of them are overweight which is very bad, it leads to snoring , and sleep apnea, which leads to all other medical conditons. she stated that i need some time out to recover, and then need to concentrate on being superfit, as that iswhat is required at my age to do the work i am doing. come to think of it there are so many people younger tyhan me on the job i do that are physically limited it's not funny . and the older ones simply cant do certain tasks .
it has given me a reality check .even though i'm quite healthy.

i dont know if i completely agree with what she said , but it was a medical opinion i suppose.

[private9]

^^^^Good new mate!

I had a chronic cough about 2.5 years ago. Sort of started as a little cough, and just kept building over a few months, to the point where I was coughing blood, walking from one room to the next would send me into a coughing fit which would end up with vomiting blood. During these months I'd been to numerous doctors and had undergone all sorts of tests.

I was at the stage where I should've been hospitalised, but I refused to, when finally it was diagnosed (I actually researched and diagnosed it!) as mycoplasma which is a type of pneumonnia.

As soon as the problem was identified, it was treated, and I was back to 75% within a week. Took at least 6 months before I was truly well, but the cough persisted.

By this stage winter hit again, and I got mycoplasma again! This time I knew what it was and I didn't get too bad, but again the cough never went.

Got it a third time, and again it was treated quickly, but the cough persisted until late last year.

My respiratory specialist eventually worked out that the cough hanging around was due to reflux. Basically, because I had been coughing so much for so long, I'd aggravated my stomach quite alot, which was giving me reflux (acid travelling up) which was then aggravating my throat, causing the cough.

Went on stomach medicine (forget the name) and cough settled within a few weeks. Finally finished in Jan, so I went off the medicine till early Feb, and cough returned pretty quickly. I'm back on the stomach stuff now, and cough is easing but is taking longer to get rid of than last time.

Sorry for the long reply, but hopefully it's of some help.

[Green X]

Yeah mate, what do you do for a living, could it be work related.

When all else fails self medicate LOL.

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by private9

^^^^Good new mate!

I had a chronic cough about 2.5 years ago. Sort of started as a little cough, and just kept building over a few months, to the point where I was coughing blood, walking from one room to the next would send me into a coughing fit which would end up with vomiting blood. During these months I'd been to numerous doctors and had undergone all sorts of tests.

I was at the stage where I should've been hospitalised, but I refused to, when finally it was diagnosed (I actually researched and diagnosed it!) as mycoplasma which is a type of pneumonnia.

As soon as the problem was identified, it was treated, and I was back to 75% within a week. Took at least 6 months before I was truly well, but the cough persisted.

By this stage winter hit again, and I got mycoplasma again! This time I knew what it was and I didn't get too bad, but again the cough never went.

Got it a third time, and again it was treated quickly, but the cough persisted until late last year.

My respiratory specialist eventually worked out that the cough hanging around was due to reflux. Basically, because I had been coughing so much for so long, I'd aggravated my stomach quite alot, which was giving me reflux (acid travelling up) which was then aggravating my throat, causing the cough.

Went on stomach medicine (forget the name) and cough settled within a few weeks. Finally finished in Jan, so I went off the medicine till early Feb, and cough returned pretty quickly. I'm back on the stomach stuff now, and cough is easing but is taking longer to get rid of than last time.

Sorry for the long reply, but hopefully it's of some help.

thanks for that mate , i forgot to mention that she told me to keep monitoring the cough , and if it doesnt completely go to go onto a reflux medicine as the next step / treatment.
i am still coughing, still medicine free, and the cough is now 97-98% gone. but still very much there . i can feel i little phlem in the bottom of my throat, and think , it just may be reflux after all, as all other symptoms are now
gone.
i am taking ZINC TABLETS DAILY TO SEE IF THEY IMPROVE THINGS , i am slowly getting better , but it is coing up to 4 months now , and i am only just confident enough to be able to sit in a room , and talk without coughing , the laugh still turns into a cough however. another week or 2 and i will be 100% better , or on reflux medication.
after that it will be an EAR NOSE AND THROAT SPECIALIST.
THEN ABC treatment , i have read high dose vitimin A , and lots of spinach and fish oil ( vitamin B) combined with vitimin C , has been know to work when all else fails.
just wondering now , if i should get a FLU SHOT , as they are offering them at work for free, i've never had one before .
my parents have though , DADS GETS THE FLU EVERY YEAR QUITE BADLY AFTER HE GETS HIS FLU SHOTS , AND MUM GETS THEM EVERY YEAR TOO, she normally ends up in hospital about 1 month after she gets the flu shots with pnumonia 3years running . i dont know wether the flu shots are nearly killing her , or preventing her death. !!!!!
maybe i mot not get them .

[aktomkins]

I too am suffering from a chronic cough. And im not looking forward to going to doctor, cause they might tell me to change job... I am a chef, and i work 7 days a week, 10 - 12 hrs a day, sometimes 15+hrs.
Excluding 2 weeks i had off for holiday, i've had 4 days off in 1 year and 2 weeks... but i don't want to leave job, as im earning much more then any other chef i know... Initially thought it was from doing Illicit substances, but i gave all that up nearly 10 months ago. and cough is still there... for the last few weeks, ive coughed until i get a blood nose, and then some....

[DOC]

Originally Posted by aktomkins

.. for the last few weeks, ive coughed until i get a blood nose, and then some....

There's a time for a joke and a bit of fun and a time you should get your backside to the doctor, i'd say that time is now.

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by aktomkins

I too am suffering from a chronic cough. And im not looking forward to going to doctor, cause they might tell me to change job... I am a chef, and i work 7 days a week, 10 - 12 hrs a day, sometimes 15+hrs.
Excluding 2 weeks i had off for holiday, i've had 4 days off in 1 year and 2 weeks... but i don't want to leave job, as im earning much more then any other chef i know... Initially thought it was from doing Illicit substances, but i gave all that up nearly 10 months ago. and cough is still there... for the last few weeks, ive coughed until i get a blood nose, and then some....

sounds serious mate. think of your quality of life. no good being rich if your health is poor. you have lots to think about , but get to a doctor now, little things can be come serious if left unchecked. i could be going through all this just from a little bit of heart burn. ( think about it ) .