coughing

[Nancy1976]

I started with a dry cough for about a week, then I went into surgery to replace my port for my lapband.  After sugery my cough continue but it wasn't dry anymore, I know had drainage.  I've been coughing now for about 5-6 weeks.  When I cough now, it gets very bad that I can't breath.  I went to see both my primary doctor and the surgeon for my lapband and they both just gave me coughing medicine w/codine, but that isn't working.  I don't cough anymore like I used to, every 5-10 minutes, but when I cough now it's sounds like I have a lot of mucous, that I can't bring up and spit out.  I also got chest x-rays and they came back normal.  I'm so scare that I have something else and no one can't see it and I don't want to suffer from phuemonia or something else.  What is scaring also is when I can't breath after coughing alot.  I know it's not a sinus infection.  I've taken an allergy pill as well.  It's hard to breath through my nose and mouth when I cough alot, I go into a panic attach for a while, which last like 10-20 seconds.  Please give me advise.  I'm thinking about going to see a specialist and ask for a CT scan and a pulmonary function study, what do you think?  I've never had a cough like this, especially one that has lasted this long and w/the breathing issues I'm having while coughing.  I'm very concern and scare now for my health.  I'm young, 32 years old , married w/3 kids. I don't want to die in case this is something serious and I don't know about it.

[National Jewish Health]

From your description, 2 things come to mind:  1) that you have asthma and that a viral respiratory infection activated it, such a cough variant asthma with a cough and little or no wheeze; and 2) pertussis, commonly called whooping cough, a disease that is no longer uncommon in adults.  Check with your doctor on these 2 possibilities.

The normal/negative chest x-ray is very reassuring, since it rules out almost all serious lung diseases.  Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) won't help, unless it is done to rule out the diagnosis of asthma.  We don't consider a cough to be chronic until it has been present for 3 months.  If a diagnosis has not been made by then, and the cough persists, another chest s-ray, not a CT scan, or a visit to a lung specialist would be appropriate.

Don't worry about your getting short of breath after coughing.  That is very common.  If you become light headed with the cough, be sure to quickly to sit down because harsh coughing can sometimes cause you to faint.

Good luck.