Desperate!! Coughing for 3 Months, Need Suggestions

Double check side effects for prescriptions.

I had a cough for several months before I relalized it was a side affect to a medication I was taking.

Have they done a CT scan.

As dry as its been in Texas there are a number of fungus disorders or disorders like coccidiomycosis that is at epidemic levels
articles.sfgate.com...

I went through over a year of coughing a few years ago with some other major symptoms and the doctors dismissed the coughing as minor.
When they finely did a CT scan they found sarcoidosis .
And my cough was a classic sarcoid cough.

The strange thing is i don't have Sarcoidosis of the lungs but mine is in the lympt nodes in the chest.

I am a smoker and that protected my lungs
www.biosci.ohio-state.edu...

I have been coughing for, oh, at least 20 years straight. I went through all the doctors, xrays, cat-scans, MRIs, you name it. My kids tell me when they were little they used to be able to find me in a store if they got lost, because they could hear my barking cough. I don't smoke, I never did. I do have pretty stubborn allergies, though.

It started after a bout of bronchitis, and never really cleared up. The official diagnosis, after many years, is that I have "cough variant asthma", and what aggravates it is post-nasal drip. The drip runs down the back of the throat and constantly tickles my upper airways, which triggers a cough.

Lately Texas has had some nasty allergens in the air. Count on the wind to keep dust and other nasties stirred up, making those who are sensitive suffer. Yesterday I coughed and sniffled constantly.

Allergies and asthma can suddenly just pop up, strange as it may sound. Our immune systems start to go haywire one day, and that's it.

Coughing is serious, but if you have gone through all the testing and they don't know, then you're like me. You may have post nasal drip and not even realize it. Try taking something drying like an antihistamine to see if it abates temporarily. I also use Source Naturals Wellness Cough Syrup, which is homeopathic in nature and none-addictive, when it gets really bothersome. I don't recommend codeine or hydrocodone cough syrup for long-term relief. They make you feel great, but are highly addicting and not beneficial in the long term.

OK...just caught up reading. OP, sounds like you might be having a lack of mucus production, thereby creating a dry cough.

I see you have had this problem since November, about the time we are keeping our homes heated due to winter.

You are also in the age range where reactions to things that didn't used to bother us, kick in. I would suggest, trying an air humidifier in your bedroom at night, to see if that eases your coughing. You can add some herbal extracts to the water to help in the production of healthy mucus.

Just a suggestion....

Des

"Dad" had persistent cough;started as a "tickle" in the back of his throat:
docs thought it might be a "sinus infection"(constant drip); Dad died of metastasized lung cancer;

Wife coughed up blood one day;They finally found a "carcinoid tumor"(I never heard of one either) growing in one of her lungs After surgery shes's fine.

Don't get medical advice on an internet conspiracy forum get it professionally "worked up" until you get a definitive answer. Its nothing to be guessing at.

Yeah....multiple medications can cause coughs. Have you tried a humidifier in your room? Especially in the bedroom to see if it helps?
Does it get worse if laying down? Or with activity?

Its early here in Texas, but I'm so exhausted from no rest these last few months I have no reliable circadian rhythm and must rest when I can.

I couldn't lay back down without offering my most profound and sincere thanks for all the wonderful people and concern you have offered my family and I.

Please continue so when I get back online later I will at least have this encouragement and support to keep me going.

God Bless You All

I agree with tothethenthpower to not take advice from a forum. Ever. Read, contemplate, talk over what you read w/ a professional, but do not take any medical advice ever from strangers online. Nobody here can give you proper advice because they do not know your living situation (house clean? dusty? dry? mold?), your health, your history, medications, interactions, and the list goes on. So just read and if anything hits home, talk to your dr. about it. Get a 2nd and 3rd opinion from other drs. if need be!

With that said My own personal story.....

I had a dry cough once for months on end. I went thru all kinds of tests from my dr. tried OTC and eventually it just went away. But the drs. had no idea why I was having it. They even tested me for tuberculosis! I live in a very dry area and sometimes I go thru bouts of this...usually in winter time. Having humidifers on in whatever room I was in helped....but never 100%. Eventually it just goes away. I really do go thru this ever winter!

It sucks. I know!

I had a dry cough once for three days with a fever, I couldn't breathe and my chest physically hurt. They did a lung x ray, it was pneumonia. I was put on antibiotics. It took a whole month to feel better. I didn't talk much or do much of anything physical. My small children knew they could act up, I just sat there and watched them.
We ate alot of peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches.

My son had a cough for a month after a cold, they told him he needed to take Clarion. Allergy medicine to dry up.
I would go to another doctor if you don't like your doctor.

Clean the house with a face mask. Don't smoke or be around smokers, get rid of any cats. Throw out your vacumme bag, and replace with a new one. Change your furnace filters monthly. Throw out your toothbrush, get a new one. Get a new pillow. I will pray you get better, Best Wishes.

It is always good to be cautious when looking for health answers. That being said:
1. If you take any medications, ask a Pharmacist for reactions and side effects. You can talk to your doc about making adjustments. Pharmacists are specifically traiined to know drug interactions and effects on the body.
2. Need to make sure you are eating a nutritional diet. Caughing may be a symptom of malnutrition.
3. Most important...how hydrated are you. Especially living in TX you can become dehydrated quickly. Dehydration might cause a histamine reaction in your body causing the caughing. I drink approx. 64-72oz. daily.

Like I said, research. I am not a professional and am only helping you to brainstorm so you can ask questions to your doctor or health provider. I prefer the natural route myself. "From dust we came to dust we will return."

reply to post by samstone11


Not saying this is an answer...... however...........

In the UK,a well known High Street Pharmacy, (Boots) sells a product called 'Allicin'......... they are very strong pure garlic tablets..... similar to a capsule filled with garlic powder...

As many know here Garlic is natures most effective anti Bacterial and Anti Viral agent and the idea of taking these for short bursts (1 week then break for a couple of weeks) has helped me in the past get over 'bugs' that appeared to be hanging around...

just a suggestion, no more..

regards

PDUK

Hi Samstone 11, I feel your pain.
I gave up on doctors a long time ago. At least one of those doctors should have ordered a chest X-ray. None of them ever do. They just keep proscribing different antibiotics until you end up in the E.R.
Here's what I'd recommend, please know that I am not a doctor, so my advice is based solely on personal experience.
You probably need to be taking a probiotic, since antibiotics kill off beneficial bacteria. For the cough, I recommend colloidal silver, 20 ppm (I've been using Mesosilver for over 10 yrs because it has the smallest particle size), one tsp, 2-3 times a day. CS also kills bacteria, so take the probiotics. If it's fungal, viral or bacterial, the CS should do the trick. Also... breath in some steam a few times. This should help loosen up the crap in your lungs so you can cough it up and get rid of it. Other than that, just make sure you're getting plenty of water and all the nutrients you need. Don't expect it to clear up overnight, 3 months is a long time.

reply to post by samstone11


I would try a humidifier...if you already haven't. also...make sure you aren't taking an ACE inhibitor for blood pressure. Lisinipril, monopril, captopril...basically any med ending in pril...they can cause dry coughs. Then go to a pulmonologist. You may well need a broncoscopy.

Dry coughs can be as benign as from dust, smoke, or just dry air. It could be mild asthma too. It could also be something way more serious. Like greeneyedleo just said....go get a second or third opinion if necessary.

While I do have a medical license offering any advice over the Internet...or taking any advice for that matter is just plain stupid. I'm not Dr. House, but I am good at what I do, I can be obnoxious, irritable and I do take a lot of vicodin at the moment if that helps ya...lol. I just had surgery.

Try a humidifier...and go to a lung specialist. It could just be acid reflux or something else. But don't just listen to ATS...lol..there are smart people here, but greeneyed is right...we can't know many things about you..like living conditions, other health issues,....etc,

In 2005 had a serious illness that involved incessant coughing.

Turned out to be sarcoidosis.

Can be diagnosed with a biopsy or they say an xray of the lungs appears like stained glass.

I had very high calcium in my blood. A rare complication. Also had severe abdominal pain, probably because of the high calcium levels. And people kept asking me if I had tinnitus, I did hear a ping sound once in a while that was like tinnitus in that it was a phantom.

Not sure of the cause. Was working at Sigonella in Sicily right before.

Sarcoidosis link here

Originally posted by AliWV
Hi Samstone 11, I feel your pain.
I gave up on doctors a long time ago. At least one of those doctors should have ordered a chest X-ray. None of them ever do. They just keep proscribing different antibiotics until you end up in the E.R.
Here's what I'd recommend, please know that I am not a doctor, so my advice is based solely on personal experience.
You probably need to be taking a probiotic, since antibiotics kill off beneficial bacteria. For the cough, I recommend colloidal silver, 20 ppm (I've been using Mesosilver for over 10 yrs because it has the smallest particle size), one tsp, 2-3 times a day. CS also kills bacteria, so take the probiotics. If it's fungal, viral or bacterial, the CS should do the trick. Also... breath in some steam a few times. This should help loosen up the crap in your lungs so you can cough it up and get rid of it. Other than that, just make sure you're getting plenty of water and all the nutrients you need. Don't expect it to clear up overnight, 3 months is a long time.

I got a chest xray. My drs are very very very good with ordering any and every test possible to see what an issue is...trust me...ive been thru 3 surgeries and all kinds of other crap in the past year....

If one does not like their dr. find another.....and another and another until you get resolve...

also wanted to add...my dr. office is almost ANTI-antibiotic. they have signs everywhere saying that they dont really help etc .They do not prescribe unles it is the last resort!....they also dont hand out meds easily! you could never be an addict and go to their office...they just wont write prescrips w/out a very viable reason!!

so dont label all drs the same...they are not

reply to post by PurpleDog UK


Yeh definiatly garlic and try some cayenne capsules, the cayene will make the cough productive and the garlic will kill the bug. Good luck.Failing that have a look on "Earthclinic" lots of natural remedies that work.

Sam,
Sorry to hear about your cough. I too had a cough that wouldn't go away. I spent $20,000 dollars at a naturalpath to no avail until finally my GP put me on an steroidal inhaler. After 2 years of hacking my lungs out the cough is gone and I no longer use the inhaler.
Prior to me having a cough my father brought back a cough from Arizona and he too suffered for 2 years with it. Niether of our coughs were diagnosed ....... so I assume it was a virus.
good luck,
brice

I was taking Enalapril for high blood pressure and it made me cough so badly I couldn't sleep for days. Switched to another called Benecor and coughing immediately stopped.

They actually thought I was on the brink of pnemonia but I was not.

Good luck.

I read once that high amounts of Vitamin A but below the amount that poisons you, can help persistent coughs. Or eat oily fish.

Another remedy that can not harm, is Magnesium in an oil spray, not pills. This is a natural antihistamine and an A&E Dr that treated me a few years ago said that everyone is deficient in Magnesium, So that's my two pence.

Hope you get better.

I n fact a post on Sarcodosis may have helped the diagnosis of my husband, who has had a cough since he broke his foot 4 years ago. We had Aspergillis mould on our windows, when he was in a cast and it has made him very sensitive to fungus. He has other symptoms and sometimes he vomits after he has coughed so much.
Peace.

Oregano oil is a must for sore throats, coughing and is also good for allergies.
Besides that consider that certain parasites can cause coughing; Prasites in humans