Do i really have asthma, coughing for 2 months now :(

hi i have had a cough that causes my airway to close and makes it very difficult to breathe, they were like coughing spasms , i've had this cough for like 2 months, i've been to the doctor and they told me it has a chest infection and i was probably developing adult on set asthma,( they put me on binozyt for the infection which didnt work then augmentin which helped,)i'm 22 and never really was affect by this coughing problem till now, i was started on asthma meds  (seretide diskus, and singulair) but i still have the cough, i can control it to a point that my air way doesnt close up anymore but i still get coughing attacks when i laugh or talk fast or such can someone please help me do i really have asthma?  and i also have a history of acid reflux , also did a chest xray that showed nothing in my lungs

[atiya88]

oh yeah and i dont weeze

[rapaulson]

Sounds like you could be having Asthma symptoms. Acid reflux kind of goes hand in hand with Asthma. The acid reflux can cause you to have more frequent asthma attacks. But to me it sounds like your air sacs could be swollen, and it is possible that you will need more medication to help get it under control. My suggestion is go back to your doctor and tell him you are still having symptoms. The asthma is obviously not under control on these new medications, so he will need to prescribe something different and probably stronger.

[bsmsl]

Hello and welcome the MedHelp.

How long have you been taking the asthma medications?

It sounds like a combination of things to me.  Make sure that your reflux is well controlled.  That can trigger and cause asthma or asthma like symptoms.  

Do you have a rescue inhaler for the asthma?  That is essential and really could help you gain the control you need.  Also, it can take quite a while to get over an infection, so you may just need to be patient.  Allow time for the medication to kick in (at least 2 weeks) and for your body to completely heal from the infection.

Another possibility since you have trouble breathing when laughing is vocal cord dysfunction (VCD).  This is a spasm of the vocal cords that can be triggered by anything that triggers asthma.  Discus this possibility with your doctor the next time you see him/her.

God bless.

[atiya88]

hi
thanks for your reply
i've been on these for about 3 weeks now.  i'm still really surprised at the diagnosis of asthma because i don't weeze at all and my air ways feel clear most of the time. i have a rescue inhaler (ventolin) . i never heard of vcd but it really does sound like a possibility to further investigate. i last went to the doctor 2 weeks ago and we did speak about the fact that i felt my airways were very sensitive and at times, actually trigger my coughing attacks, which in turn triggered my "loss of ability to take in air", but she said that was because of my infection and its still sensitive. all in all thank you very much for your reply i guess i have alot more doctors visits in store for me.

[atiya88]

thank you so much for replying, it's so very frustrating not having control of this thing, i really believe i need for probably visit a pulmonologist and see what they have to say, because i'm still coughing almost everyday, just the attacks arent that bad that i cant breathe

[ketcher]

I cough alot as well, esp when lying down, laughing or for no reason at all. I am so very tired of it. I take advair 2x a day, rescue inhaler & aciphex for gerd.

[bsmsl]

Hi,
You may want to make sure that your GERD is very well controlled and also discus VCD with your doctor.  GERD can cause coughing especially when liing down.  VCD can cause trouble any time and a common trigger is laughing.  

There are many life style changes that help with GERD.  I also found that pro-biotics are essential to my control.  Digestive enzymes are helpful as well.

God bless.