Any suggestions

[jesse822]

I have been coughing persistently for four months now. My thoughts is it's probably due to quitting smoking which was about the same time ago. I quit many years back and coughed also but it hurt a lot when I did. Inhalers my M.D. gave me did not work neither did cough medicine so I tried oriental medicine herbs and I stopped coughing. I didn't start taking the herbs right away but after taking it and stopping coughin the process of my cough lasted about a month. I have started to take herbs again but it is not working. I have not gotten the herbs from the same doctor as last time and am wondering if I took the same herbs again if that would help but am also concerned if it might be another health related problem although I am not @ risk for any other health problems. Maybe my thoughts are wandering due to the fact of reading some information that hiv/aids related symptoms cause dry cough and tb causes cough also. Although I've already tested for hiv 6 months after my last sexual encounter and was broken up with my boyfriend when I took the test and haven't been with a man since I may be experiencing some unecessary paranoia. Should I get tested again. It's been 4 years since the last time I got tested which is around the last time I had coughing symptoms. I was srill with my boyfriend @ the time and had recently broke up sometime afterwards and am wondering if it was due to quitting smoking which was around the same time I had broken up with my boyfriend. Could a hiv test come back innacute when it comes back negative? Towards the end of last year I had gone to college and have learned that someone @ school had tb although I may not have attended classes on campus during that time. I was enrolled in the school but went to class @ the hospital across the street taking nursing classes but have gone on campus to use the computer a few times and am wondering if I should be concerened about tb and get tested. I also used o take phyciatric medicine which I am no longer taking and have stopped in the beginning of Febuary. My cough had started some time shortly after that which was around the same time I quit smoking and am concerned if I should focus the fact that my cough is probably due to quitting smoking or even if stopping medicine like that could cause effects like cough.  

[drismaya]

See ENT or Chest Physician. Allergic rhinitis or Sinusitis needs to be excluded. A CT scan of Sinuses and throat may be useful. CT scan of the chest may identify early lung, pleural lesions not seen in normal chest x-ray. Spirometry (lung function test), Hitamine challange tests, and Allergen skin/blood test, may also help to exclude allergic cough. Cough related to HIV infection would have other symptoms (like loss of appetite, weight loss, fever etc) and CXR would be abnormal.

[mkh9]

It could be from smoking and your lungs are trying to slough off the old cells. Do you have any symptoms of TB other than the cough, such as night sweats, extreme fatigue etc.? You can easily get a TB skin test (unless you got the bCG vaccine) or Xray for that if you are worried about. I doubt your test for HIV was wrong. If you were exposed did you get tested 3 months afterwards? If not you could get that done to reassure yourself but I don't think just having a cough would be a sign of HIV. You have other symptoms. As the other post said it might be good to also see an ENT doctor to check your throat and see if something is making you cough.

[gymdandee]

How about seeing an ENT doctor!