Coughing in public

@brian93 Let 'em stare! I think coughing in 2024 is what being in a wheelchair was back in 1960 - people stared, remarked, etc. Your retort "I wasn't coughing to get you to move, I was coughing because I'm sick.. but don't worry, lung cancer is not contagious." was perfect.

As far as dealing with coughing in public - I carry a water bottle and hard candy, because I never know when that feeling was going to hit.

When I coughed all the time before diagnosis and treatment, hard peppermint candy was the best I found for controlling the cough. Good luck!
I think your response was appropriate, too. I do wear a mask inside public places to decrease their anxiety.

"Don't worry, it's asthma," is the way I explain my coughing, although I have additional lung conditions that may be the cause, MAI being one of them. I do though sometimes have violent coughing fits at events in catering halls and I wonder if it may be a reaction to cleaning supplies used in these places. Or could it be that my trying to suppress a cough at events is causing these fits? I've spent some time at an event coughing in the coat room. At another event when experiencing a coughing fit, I left the catering hall for outdoors, where my coughing wouldn't disturb the other guests and to save myself from pitying glances - so embarrassing.

I often cough in public also and always have cough drops handy. Works well when at a play or conference. I also tell people I have a lung disease and am not contagious if need be.

I have not had a continuous coughing spell, so to speak.........as yet,
My problem is that I nearly always have the feeling a substance caught in my throat that keeps coming up and continuously coming up. It is a clear substance and mostly appears to be gel like, like mucus. I mostly 'suck it up' and out and once in a while cough it out or huff cough. When doing this at times I do have the mucus plugs come up and out and or a light yellow mucus.
However, yes it is difficult being out in public or wanting to be social and eat out. I mostly wear an N95 all the time when away from the house or out or when I feel it is necessary in other situations.
What I do is carry one of the short blue cap sputum viles and when necessary I pull it out of one of my water bottle carry all pockets and use it to remove the substance into it. Yes it requires lifting the bottom of the mask to enable me to do so. I covered the the original medical label on the vile with clear mailing tape so if anyone notices me and my vile, they can see it is a medical vile. So far only once did I have one of those questionable looks or comments and that was at the tail end of the worst of Covid.
My confusion is: Is the need to constantly clear my throat due to the hiatal hernia (I read they can cause over production of mucus and the desire and need to clear the throat) or the bronchiectasis (BE). I don't think there is a medical test that would be able to truly give me that answer.????
Many times I find that chewing a small piece of gum helps for a while but then while I am chewing the gum I have moisture that seeps out of the sides of my mouth on its own as if I am drooling. I carry a cloth hankerchief with me.
And then there is the other problem after having started airway clearance and huff coughing. !!!!
Needless to say....... life and ones days and activities are sure changed with the human health problems we can develop and as well ......further develop due to the aging process that our bodies go through with living life.
Wishing good answers for all of us.
Barbara

I totally sympathize with your plight. For me, it was worse before I started nebulizing. People were continually asking me if I was getting a cold or handing me cough drops. I quit a choir I was in because of my fellow members’ snide comments. I always have cough drops with me for when I feel a coughing fit coming on.

Hi blm1007blm1007,
I have bronchiectasis and pseudomonas. Invariably I feel mucus in the back of my throat that keeps coming up and it is a clear gel like substance. I was wondering if you had allergies. I do and I find the mucus is post nasal drip. It’s hard to get it up and out or even swallow it. What I do is a saline rinse twice a day in each nostril. The rinse bottle is from NeilMed. I warm up distilled water and add a packet of NeilMed’s special salt. It’s less expensive from Amazon. I’m not sure that this is your issue but it did sound like what I experience.
I also had a hiatal hernia but have since had it repaired and I still get mucus in the back of my throat. Just a thought.
All the best…

Thanks for reading and replying.
I started out with ENT's. I ended up seeing three different ones and all 3 said no post nasal drip. Did allergy testing also, no real problems. Yes, at times it is such that it is hard to swallow....and that is what I have been told to do by the docors...swallow it....but they just don't get how hard that is to do at times. My pulmonologist did say she believed it was coming from my stomach which therefore would be related to the hiatal hernia.
One of the ENT's who is near retirement was not keen on the Neil Med bottle, he felt it was too much pressure, however NJH gives them out to most all patients to use. Go figure....just shows us they all have different philosophies.
For me the thick gel like substance is more frustrating than anything at this point in time. I won't/ can't complain because I am not in any pain....so I tell myself frustration is nothing...deal with it. For me, it is the limiting social aspect that is bad and may prove to be the worse problem of all. Who wants to hear and see someone clearing out there throat during a nice served meal.
Do you feel the hiatal hernia repair helped?? I have read that the procedure(s) for hiatal hernia don't always take care of the problem so I'm not thinking of trying that just yet.
This site tells and shows us that we are not the only ones who have develped problems such as we have, and as well, that each person can have totally differnt combinations of problems along with BE.
Wishing you clear throat days.....wouldn't that be nice.
Barbara

wear a sign : "it's bronchiectasis , no infection"

well and those who are infective should wear a sign
that they are infective

If I a going somewhere and afraid I am going to start coughing I always take a spoon full of Manuka honey followed by a cough drop and it works every time.