I had a really bad cough three weeks after my esophagectomy. My doctor brought me back in for a CT scan. I had a large amount of fluid in my chest cavity pressing on one of my lungs. They put in a drain, and over two days, more than a liter of fluid was drained out. My cough was gone immediately. I urge you and your husband to talk to his surgeon about having a chest scan and being evaluated for pneumonia.