Chronic cough

Hi, I am a 43 female,I have suffered with Asthma for the past 17 years and I have had a chronic cough for the past 10 months. I have been to my G.P countless times and I also see a specialist.
The medication I am on is Flixotide(250mcg)4 pfs morning and evening,Serevent(25mcg)2 pfs morning and evening,Combivent,2 pfs 4 times daily and Ventolin(Salbutamol)used as and when needed,Phyllocontin(225mg)tablets,1 in the morning and 1 in the evening and Bambuterol hydrochloride(10mg)tablets,1 to be taken in the evening. I am taking all this medication but the only thing that seems to ease this cough for a few hours is when the coughing makes me sick and I bring up what looks like jelly.I was taken into hospital in November because I had a really bad turn and while I was there I was taking steroids and using nebulizer which seemed to ease the cough while I was in there. I was in for 10 days, I had only been home a few days when it all flared up again and was as bad as ever. It even wakes me during the night several times. I have had countless courses of antibiotics and several courses of steroids. I cough worse at night. I have had xrays that showed clear and had allergy tests that came back negative. I am at my wits end with this and my ribs and my back are very sore from all the coughing. It feels like my throat is constantly filling up with phlegm and tastes awful. I had cut down on smoking but lost my mum last week and ended up smikong 20 a day again, I am waiting for an appointment for a quit smoking program at the local hospital.

[National Jewish]

It is clear from your message that you are very frustrated and perhaps frightened by the condition you describe. It appears from your note you are on many medications, all very appropriate for the symptoms you describe. At the very end of the message, you probably have described the cause of much of the mucus production and coughing: smoking. Cigarette smoke into the lungs causes the lungs to produce increased mucus as a protection against the particles in the smoke and also destroys the cells that function to remove the particles and mucus. The combination of these events can cause what you are experiencing. It is unlikely that you will experience a dramatic change in the mucus and cough until you have stopped smoking for quite a while. The lungs need not only to stop being attacked by the smoke, but also time to heal. The only other suggestion I would make is to evaluate the lining of your sinuses. Either from chronic inflammation or infection, the sinuses can be a cause of much of what you described. It is not uncommon for smokers to have chronic inflammation of these airways. If this is the case, that area, too, needs to be addressed.
I understand that this is a very sad and stressful time for you. It is a very hard time for you to start the difficult steps necessary for you to quit smoking. Hopefully, in the near future, your heart will heal and allow you to take the steps to help your body to heal, as well. To help you with this, you may want to look at our Just Quit Online program at http://www.nationaljewish.org.
I am sorry about your loss.