Cough for Years

[canaliy]

My mother is 74 years old.  She worked for most of her years in a bank next to a dry cleaning company and complained about the constant fume of the cleaning products.  Shortly after she retired she developed a cough that starts on the left side of her upper chest.  She has had the cough for 10 years, her cough uccurs in the early morning after she has been sleeping, at night, and when she goes outside.  When the cough starts she can't stop until she has coughed up a pretty large amount of mucus.  She has seen 5 different specialists and all they could tell her is that she has something wrong but its not asthma.  I would like to know if you have ever heard of a condition like this, and is there is any treatment/cure for it.  Thank you for your help.

[National Jewish]

From your note, it appears that this cough has been present and a problem for 10 years. It is almost impossible to find the cause of a cough just from the information you have given. This cough can be from an upper airway cause (such as chronic sinusitis) or lower airway causes such as asthma, chronic bronchitis etc. The best advice would be to see a Pulmonologist, who can better evaluate this problem with appropriate tests. These may include breathing tests, x-rays and perhaps some blood tests.
Good luck.

[Dolly]

I just joined this forum and read your post.  I have asbestosis and your mom's symptoms are mine exactly.  I am currently on the beeper waiting for a lung transplant.  While I understand your mom wouldn't have asbestosis she could have fibrosis(scarring of the lungs) caused by the chemicals next door.  That was my diagnosis ...Pulmonary fibrosis secondary to asbestosis.  Best wishes to your mom.

[karizmaflip]

is your mom a smoker?it could be chronic bronchitis.or emphysema.well keep me posted to know what you find out!

[starion]

Dear Friend,
Has your mom seen a pulmonologist (lung specialist)?  Has she had a pulmonary function test (PFT)?  Has she had any x-rays and/or chest CT scans?  Dry cleaning fumes can bother people, particularly years of exposure to them.  [In our house, we don't buy anything which requires dry-cleaning because the fumes from materials dry cleaned bother my husband even after the clothing has been airing out for hours!]  Has she seen any occupational medicine specialists and told them about the dry cleaning fumes?
Best of luck!
Aloha,
Starion--thriving in HI