Glad you had a good trip.  I've had a bronchcospy done, but results are pending yet.  The reason Lung dr suggested it was that I've been on the MAC 3 antibotics for almost 4 months now and I'm still having fevers in the evenings.  If this doesn't show results they will suggest an open lung biopsy.  I'm hopingit doesn't come to that.  I also had an ENT look at vocal chords as my voice has been 'squeaky' for last 4 months.  He said they were a little inflammed and he could see redness where they were irritated from coughing, but nothing else.  Did a ct scan of sinuses but all clear.  So not sure why I have a squeaky voice, but it exhausts me to talk sometimes.<br><br><br>

I have a chronic cough but I've been told it was from Reflux. I had the surgery back in 2008 and the cough went away after 18 horrible years. I had silent reflux which means no symptoms and back then they didn't know coughing was a symthom. I had cervical spine surgery in April and guess what the Surgeon must have messed up my Reflux Surgery . I know have reflux in the throat and coughing. I'm on Nexium in the am and Zantac at nite. Hopefully that will fix the problem!

Jillnc....have they ruled out perhaps a fungal infection of some sort? Terri d

jilnc, so glad to hear from you! Is your name Jill? Seems funny to refer to you as jilnc!

Interesting that you are still having fevers .. I can only speak for myself .. but that did not happen to me so have no reference. In terms of the "squeaky" .. are you on an inhaler? I am on two of them and if I don't rinse my mouth intensively it can have a funny affect. PLUS a kind of weird thing .. after being on the 4-5 antibiotics for thirty months .. my voice was just plain not normal. I decided to google a "speech pathologist" .. when I met with him it was VERY interesting!

One of the first things he asked me was the position of my tongue .. I don't know if it was all the months/years of coughing or what .. BUT the tip of my tongue was toward my teeth. It is SUPPOSED to be back at the "hump" kind of in the middle of your mouth. He had me do a bunch of exercises .. and today I try to be aware of that .. and my voice is back to normal. I am NOT saying that is your issue .. but am just putting it out there in case it might be of interest to you or someone else. I sure know about the exhaustion .. I think the coughing alone is just exhausting! On my trip I pointed out that I have "abs of steel" .. and that no woman of 73 should have abs of steel! But of course it is from all the years of tightening up my body to cough so much! It is very exhausting!

Please give yourself a break during this period .. rest as much as your body tells you it needs it .. just plain be kind to yourself. It is a tough time. Sending you a Big Hug! Katherine (Thanks for checking in!)

I think that is what they are hoping to find with the bronchcospy.  They did a fluid sample, brushings and a small biopsy.<br><br><br>

No inhalers.  My tounge is forward, imo, but it's been this way as long as I can remember.  I had speech classes in elementary school because I couldn't pronounce s's and z's correctly.  But who knows the coughing could have something to do with it.  I haven't been coughing much lately but when I do I tend to put my toung behind my lower teeth so as not to rub sore spots on the bottom/sides of my tounge when sticking it out of my nouth and coughing.<br><br><br>

Hello cowboy .. good to hear from you! WOW! What a mess .. one fix messes up another fix! It is so hard to decide what to do in situations like yours .. the human body is so complicated .. AND surgeries get better as the years go by .. but look what happened to you!

After a severe bout of pneumonia in 2003 and a lot of meds .. I developed GERDS. I have been on Aciphex ever since. That is a LONG time .. hence I have been told that after 3 years on a PPI which Aciphex and Nexium are .. I should have my Vitamin B12 tested as needed .. as well as take magnesium supplements. You might check with your doctor and see what they say about your particular case.
Sure hope your regimen works for you .. sounds like you have been through the wringer! Thanks for checking in .. glad to hear from you! Hugs to you! Katherine

Jill, that is a GOOD point! I know that I see "Fungal Culture-Routine" on my reports .. so that is something to think about. Thanks for pointing that out! Katherine

Hmmm, Jill, that is interesting about the tongue behind the lower teeth! I developed "geographic tongue" AND Oral Thrush from all the antibiotics (despite my religious use of probiotics!) .. that I just can't get rid of despite two rounds of prescription Oral Thrush medications.

So my tongue does get painful .. I am going to try to use your method! May be trying to teach an old dog new tricks because I have been coughing so long this way .. but boy I am sure going to try it to save my poor tongue! Thanks for the idea! Hugs! Katherine

welcome back Katherine, glad you had a good trip.