Persistent Tickle in My Throat

[BZMOM]

Several times each year, for about the past 12 years, I have a persistent tickle in my throat that makes it hard for me to talk or laugh.  It triggers a dry, unproductive cough.  This even happens when sitting at rest.  I have seen several allergists about the problem, and have tried everything from OTC allergy meds to Zyrtec.  I am now on a routine of Advair and a nasal mist twice a day, but I do not see that it is giving me any relief.  It is accompanied by some post nasal drip and a minor runny nose.  While it appears to be seasonal, it lasts for weeks at a time and is very aggravating.  Ultimately, I end up with back pain, headaches, and fatigue from the cough.  Any suggestions as to what to try next?

[jojogeorgie]

The tickle in my throat is constant as well, I really am tired of it.   I went to two doctors and was told it was fluid in the broncii tubes and it shuts the air way down so the mucos does not get into the lung.  THat was an OK explanation since at that time I was very sick with bronchittis (cant spell sorry)  Now the tickle has just stayed with me. I get by but worry all the time about the airway thing. When the airway closes I know and feel it coming on becasue the tickle gets worse by the seconds till I cannot speak or take air in. Then as fast as the symptoms come they subside. What i want to know is this a symptom to something more serious. Does anyone else do this.

[National Jewish]

It is unlikely that this is a cough from the lower airways.  Therefore the Advair probably will have little effect.  If this is as significant as you are describing, it might be worth a trial of 5 days of prednisone, an oral steroid, to see if the symptoms respond.  If they do, this leads to the conclusion that this is an inflammatory process.  From your description, that process is in the upper and not the lower airways.  A sinus CT scan might give some other evidence of the cause.

[Inanga]

sounds like allergies to me - I guess you'll have to work out the cause yourself - my expereince is having a mild pollen allergy that is real but the main problem was food sensitivities. If i eat wheat, gluten, soy or dairy I get problems in the gut but the main one is respiritiry mucous - post nasal drip. This was pretty bas as it stopped my sleeping more than a few hours a night at its worst. I was eating pasta for dinner a lot and wuold be coughing and choking on mucous for up to 8 hours after eating. The doctors were no help - tried to treat the pollen allergy but that didn't really help.
i found out that poeple with pollen allergies have a reasonable likelihood of having sensivities to other foods - I have probs with mellons, bananas, tomatoes as well as the above. you definitely need to think laterally and look at everything getting into you - either by breathing (dust, pollen, pets stuff) or eating. good luck.

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