Hello Kathryn, GREAT that you are feeling a bit better! I have been thinking about your post .. this is just me .. but because of my incessant coughing .. I decided to get another opinion a while back .. went to an excellent Allergist to have allergy tests done to figure out just what I was allergic to.. maybe another reason why I was coughing so much.

I already knew from previous allergy testing that I was allergic to mold. I was absolutely POSITIVE I was allergic to dust mites and had done a bunch of things to alleviate dust mites in my home. I was tested for various things including dust mites by the allergist.

To my shock .. NOT allergic to anything much including dust mites! BUT this doctor FINALLY explained to me for the first time just what my diagnosis of “Reactive Airway Disease” meant. His explanation: If someone hits me on the head .. I am NOT allergic to being hit on the head! I am REACTING to being hit on the head! IE .. my bronchial tubes are REACTING .. being irritating .. REACTING to various irritants that I am exposed to! I am NOT allergic to those irritants .. just reacting to them!

Yesterday I asked Dr. Aksamit about this .. WHY I cough so much in enclosed spaces ie automobiles .. sitting in a theatre close to people .. a restaurant booth etc. He said the bronchial tubes can REACT to MANY things .. MANY changes .. even changes in temperature .. humidity ..etc. That my bronchial tubes were REACTING to those changes as I entered a new environment. Ok .. explained.

So, what I am thinking is: first step get an appointment with a GOOD allergist to confirm/deny any allergies you might have. If the doctor cannot come up with any allergies. Then I wonder if you are just like me .. REACTING to various irritants to the bronchial tubes? Sorry .. a real pain in the batooty but things could be worse .. LOTS of worse illnesses we could have .. right?! Hugs to you! Katherine