Constant throat clearing and cough

[sanibel]

I have a respiratory issue that is extremely irritating. I became sick about a month ago. I had an upper respiratory infection that was treated with cortisone and antibiotics.

I am now left with a scratchy throat and a constant dry cough.  My vocal cords seem to be very irritated.  I get worse if I talk a lot.  Additionally, I can't eat certain types of food anymore, such as anything with a sweet icing such as a glazed donut or anything spicy. I don't normally eat sweet stuff, but I occasionally have dessert after a great meal. Those types of food will send me into a coughing fit.  I never go anywhere without a bottle of water because I never know when the couughing or irritation will happen.

When I was sick with bronchitis, I had a real problem with the breathing, but my pulse oxygen was normal.  My Dr. treats me for asthma, but the meds don't help this problem. I am beginning to wonder if I really have asthma. I never have wheezing when I cough.  When I get into a coughing fit, it is more like sucking air through a straw.

I have an appt. next week with an ENT, because the throat clearing, and horseness is extremely irrating and not very pleasant for those around me.

Has anyone else experienced this constant horseness, dry cough and inability to talk for a normal length of time.

Please tell me this is going to go away.  I hsve to be in meetings daily and  my voice is shot after about an hour.  

I appreciate your thoughts.

[cough wont stop]

hi everyone i also have had the same cough for 15 to 20 years now.and have went to the doctor for tests from every thing from gerd to post nasal drip,allergies,you name it i've had it done.  the doctors think i am crazy.but the last doctor i went to said his mother has had the same cough for the past 6 years but they didn't know what it was. whatever it is, one thing I know for sure is that it is contagious!  I have givin it to my wife , daughter, and neice who lives with us.  I think the reason why the cdc are not doing anything about this is because it is mostly bothersome and is not killing people.  We need to all get together and do something to be herd by these doctors. All it is doing is getting worse and more and more people are getting this. It is becoming an epidemic. We dont know were to turn from here and am hoping I can get some answers here.  Please Help!

[runcyclexcski]

Hi all,

I've been trying to post a question on this, but looks like many people have this sort of experience.

I had a sinus infection almost a year ago that has developed into the symptoms that people are describing here. It took about a week. The symptoms are still with me. Constant chest conjestion, especially when lying on my back, severe mucus production after meals and even water (this makes me skip meals), the sympotms are also caused by stress and exercise. I am a 30 yo non-smoker, a competitive endurance athlete, and a scientist, with a very active lifestyle. Now all these things interfere with my breathing. I spend 50% of my time visiting docs trying to figure this out. Albuterol, a/biotics, singulair, sinus rinses, you name it, have no effect. My peak flow volumes are 750-800 (which, i guess, is considered "to the roof") and don't change whether I feel bad or good.

The only thing that seems to provide some relieve is a huge dose of advair (500/50), and travelling from where I live - the Bay Area. E.g. high mntn air and desert air cure me.

My doc (who is a department chair at a respectable teaching hospital) says that I "defy diagnosis".

In case people want to set up a group on this , my email is runcyclexcskiREMOVE_THIS***@****. perhaps we could have our docs talk to each other.

[wilson_488]

I seem to have the exact same problem.  I have a post nasal drip sensation about 20 minutes to an hour after I wake up.  Often, it becomes a bit less severe throughout the day but reoccurs after I eat.  No medicine seems to work.  I have been to the doctor for allergy testing and I was told I am allergic to a number of pollens and foods but I happen to know that I have had no allergic reaction to these stimulants in the past - so I do not completely trust the allergy tests.  I am beginning to think, to an extent, that the problem is psychological / habit.  The last two times I went to the Doctor, my throat was fine during the visit.  That being said, sometimes I can not talk unless I clear my throat - though it is hard to cough anything up.

I have been doing research the last couple of weeks and have found similar ailments diagnosed as GERD, stress, habit, or a few others that slip my mind.  

Has anyone had any success in correcting the problem?

Thank you.

[ChronicCougher]

I am reading similar situations on this post that I am going through.  At the end of June 2006 I had a slight fever and felt lousy one weekend, slept most of that weekend.  A few days later I started coughing and developed huge quanitities of sputum (clear, not yellow or green)coming up from my bronchials or lungs, not from my sinuses..no post nasal drip.

I went to the Dr. when the coughing got so constant and bad that it was keeping me up all night.  I was put on azithromax..that did not work, then Levoquin, which I stopped after the 5th day because it was making me very sick...then finally methylpredinsalone (steroid) for 5 days which helped for a few days and then the cough returned.  This went on for a couple of months, I either cracked a rib or severally sprained my rib area from coughing and coughed so violently that I ruptured small blood vessels in my throat.

I am now seeing an internal medicine doctor who ordered blood tests to check for bacterial or fungal infection...all came back negative and I am having a chest CT scan in a few days.  Meanwhile..I too am on the Advair discus twice a day and an Albuterol inhaler as needed for bad coughing attacks, helps a little..but the huge quantities of sputum are not going away.  

This condition has started taking over my life!  I am a real estate salesperson who has a violent cough when I am with clients (embarrassing...and it is not controllable), I am losing sleep at night due to coughing, I re-sprained my ribs on one side.  People look at me like I have some terrible, contagious disease (which I don't know if it is or not).  

I have been told that I could just have chronic bronchitis and there may not be a reason or a cure...just have to live with it.  I am not settling for that answer!

I live in the Phoenix area of Arizona...we have very dirty air here right now...all the dust naturally and from the massive construction going on here...not to mention all the new cars here from the big influx of people moving here.  I am wondering if it is something in the air as they say that I am reacting too.

[Kriscoke]

Wow!! Hello first. I am 31 yrs old 5-8 190 lbs. In great shape. But  I have been through so much in the last 2 months I don't know where to start. I was a smoker for one and developed a cold in earlier sept. that turned into some type of flu----bronchitus----and I did not know what happened after that. I got home from work after going to the emergency just to get some antibiotics and cough med. I work outside pretty much. But I started coughing so much I blacked out.

Now here is what happen to me I won't write forever but like I said I can relate. I have vasovagal syncope (cough syncope). I already knew that but I also caught pertusis (whoping cold) over hte last month I was blacking out from coughing 5-10 times a day. My nerves were crazy I was breaking out in cold sweats My emotions were crazy things were not looking good. I went to a Neurologist. I live in north east Ohio so cleveland clinic has some of the best doctors in the world. I have great Insureance so I see them. He told me that I have cough syncope but did not give me any med because he said when the cough stops so will the Blackouts. I suppose this is true

Number 2 I had no voice from coughing that was the worst because my throat felt like there was a worm in it and that was making me feel like was having an anxiety attack. Things were happening to me that I never believed happen to people. So next I talk to buddy at worked he had the same cold but with out the pasing out. Now he is a non smoker and drinker. I now knew what ever it was I had I cought it from some one and my dad and a few other people at my job had this type of cough that made them almost pass out and puke. But with me I was blcking ot so I have been off work since sept 24 and mind you I have only missed one day of work maybe one day a year. I went to and ENT he said it was gerd and gave me nexium.

The next day I went to my doctor and he gave me and inhaler, benzotate, biaxin and head ache pills. But the noe of that stuff worked. after looking on the net about this type of cough and found out that its a whooping cold that I ony thought infants get but I have it. Its a very tough thing to diagnos. Really from what I read knowledge of it is the way to know because it has 3 stages and in the bad stage its hard to detect the bacteria in your throat.

The only relief I have is that I hope its not forever I have not blacked out in over a week but I learned how to control the cough when it starts. When I drive I slow down just in case something might happen from coughing. I don't cough as much maybe 5-10 cough attacks a day. Thats good considering 3 wks ago  I could not lay down to sleep and ony got about 2 hours of sleep a day for about 3 wks. If i did I would cough till I blacked out. I even make the noise after I cough like a can't breathe. and I can't talk for a few second till some air gets back in my lung. My chest hurts like hell when I cough because I fight the attack its almost like I swollow the cough. i antibiotics worked on the flu I had but htis cough I see nothing works I just Have to ride it out.

For about 7 people I know tohave his cold leads me to believe that is some type of pandemic that the Doctors aren't saying because this is major if pertusis is back in full blow.But i will keep you guys informed on when it almost over. But does any know anyone with pertusis as an adult. If you think you have it Its contagious in the first few weeks till you some antibiotics

[CaptainKoolAid]

I too have what I believe to be a constant poat nasal drip triggered by I don't know what. I'm in my late 30's and have had it for about 3 years or more. My brother has had it for about 15 years. I finally went to an ENT and he first told me it was most likely reflux, as it is in most patients, but he was unable to see any signs of it via scope, so I started a nose spray which didn't help. Now I'm using the purple pill, also no help. I have to clear my throat several times a minute, espically after I eat or drink, even water. After eating or drinking it is unbearable for about 1 to 1.5 hours. My saliva always seems to be very thick also. I drink water all day long, it's all I like, so I'm getting plenty of the proper fluids. I once spoke with a family Dr. who told me there is a nerve in the roof of my mouth, or maybe the throat I can't remember, that for some people gets stimulated when one eats or drinks and can trigger a runny nose or even post nasal drip. If that is true then the more it drips, the more I swallow hard, the more it drips. I have tried eating painfully slow, chewing my food for a long time and taking smaller bites and it does seem to lessen the effect, but it still drips. I have also tried Claratin, Sudafed and others and none of that stuff seems to do anything. However, I do on occassion take a pill for pain called Tramadol, and one of it's side effects is to make me very thirsty hours after taking it. This drying out also effects my PND as it seems to really thin out the secretions so that even though I still seem to have to swallow more than I think is normal, it doesn't make me feel as if my throat is clogged so I cut back on the throat clearing considerably! It is my Viagra of side effects:) Now I can be a little happy about the chronic injury I sustained many years ago. Truthfully, the injury is much more desirable than the constant throat clearing. I would rather give up some fingers or toes than continue to live with this. It is a horrible thing to be in public or to have a relationship with this problem.