1. < Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)

Chronic Cough: what might be the cause?

Posted by cindykoch @cindykoch, Sep 4, 2022

I’ve had a chronic cough for over 2 months. Drs say it’s allergies but nothing is helping. It’s worse at night. I have a little nasal drip but mostly starts as a tickle in the throat and ends up coughing until I feel like I break ribs, I pee and tears run. I’m not sleeping lately either.

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mast4329 | @mast4329 | Sep 6, 2022

This sounds so familiar. I was finally referred to a pulmonologist and given prednisone, a nasal spray medication (sorry I don’t rember the name) and an inhalant. I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis with pulmonary involvement.

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1 reply
rondakalan18 | @rondakalan18 | Sep 6, 2022
In reply to @cindykoch "Thank you! I just looked up this condition and I want to discuss this with my..." + (show)
@cindykoch

Thank you! I just looked up this condition and I want to discuss this with my doctor as an option to look into. We’ve exhausted just about everything else.

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Hi Cindy. I’ve gone through every test you can imagine I’ve had this since birth and I’m 72. Doctors have all told me it’s something else. I’ve had everything from my tonsils removed to allergy shots and things in between. My suggestion is you go to an otolaryngologist. I went to one at USC Keck medical Center named Dr. Johns. He knows what LSN is some doctors are just learning about it. in Japan they have medication for it which was not yet approved here. Merck Pharmaceuticals is going to revisit the testing. I wrote a long thing about it and I don’t know if you read it or not but I wrote things in detail. Right now, I’m taking Pre-Gabalin which is Lyrica. But there are other things starting with Amitriptyline that you can try and your doctor will know. Dr. Johns knows. I don’t know where you live so I don’t know if that’s close to you. Private message me anytime.

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1 reply
cindykoch | @cindykoch | Sep 7, 2022
In reply to @rondakalan18 "Hi Cindy. I’ve gone through every test you can imagine I’ve had this since birth and..." + (show)
@rondakalan18

Hi Cindy. I’ve gone through every test you can imagine I’ve had this since birth and I’m 72. Doctors have all told me it’s something else. I’ve had everything from my tonsils removed to allergy shots and things in between. My suggestion is you go to an otolaryngologist. I went to one at USC Keck medical Center named Dr. Johns. He knows what LSN is some doctors are just learning about it. in Japan they have medication for it which was not yet approved here. Merck Pharmaceuticals is going to revisit the testing. I wrote a long thing about it and I don’t know if you read it or not but I wrote things in detail. Right now, I’m taking Pre-Gabalin which is Lyrica. But there are other things starting with Amitriptyline that you can try and your doctor will know. Dr. Johns knows. I don’t know where you live so I don’t know if that’s close to you. Private message me anytime.

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I’m in Wisconsin. Private message me if you don’t mind sending me information.

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1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Sep 7, 2022
In reply to @cindykoch "I’m in Wisconsin. Private message me if you don’t mind sending me information." + (show)
@cindykoch

I’m in Wisconsin. Private message me if you don’t mind sending me information.

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Hi @rondakalan18 and @cindykoch. I removed references to your email addresses. I recommend using the secure private message function to exchange contact information. See the Help Center to learn how https://connect.mayoclinic.org/help-center/

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cindykoch | @cindykoch | Sep 7, 2022
In reply to @pmom "I have been living with a chronic cough since 2009. I saw all of the fine..." + (show)
@pmom

I have been living with a chronic cough since 2009. I saw all of the fine physicians in my area (Boston) and then flew out to Mayo as a last resort and even they weren't able to come up with a diagnosis. It comes and goes with me. It can get very bad or go away entirely for a month or two at a time. I've been allergy tested and have no allergies at all. I do have gerd and take nexium and and I also take Gaviscon Advance as needed. I have never heard of laryngeal sensory neuropathy but that will be my next area of research with my Otolaryngologist. Thank you for this!

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It is a new subject for me as well and I’m hopeful and encouraged that maybe my doctor will be cooperative in referring me to the correct specialist so I can get some answers. You as well!

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cindykoch | @cindykoch | Sep 7, 2022
In reply to @mast4329 "This sounds so familiar. I was finally referred to a pulmonologist and given prednisone, a nasal..." + (show)
@mast4329

This sounds so familiar. I was finally referred to a pulmonologist and given prednisone, a nasal spray medication (sorry I don’t rember the name) and an inhalant. I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis with pulmonary involvement.

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Was the diagnosis helpful along with the medications?

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1 reply
cindykoch | @cindykoch | Sep 7, 2022
In reply to @contentandwell "Hi, @cindykoch I hope you do manage to get a referral to a gastroenterologist. I believe..." + (show)
@contentandwell

Hi, @cindykoch
I hope you do manage to get a referral to a gastroenterologist. I believe that specialty would be the best start with a chronic cough since it could be caused either by something in your larynx or esophagus.

You mention that you did try Zyrtec. Did that help at all? If so then that would definitely narrow things down.

I have Barrett's Esophagus and when it's particularly troublesome I find I do cough a lot but it doesn't sound as if that's your problem. For me it also causes hoarseness.
Please keep us up to date on how things are going.
JK

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Zyrtec doesn’t seem to help too much

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adr | @adr | Sep 8, 2022

Hi everyone! I finally got clearance to have imagining done for pulsatile tinnitus. I am happy to perhaps finally have answers to the whoosing in my ear. My biggest challenge is how not to panic when I go into the machine for MRI/MRA. Any advice would be much appreciated.

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mast4329 | @mast4329 | Sep 9, 2022
In reply to @cindykoch "Was the diagnosis helpful along with the medications?" + (show)
@cindykoch

Was the diagnosis helpful along with the medications?

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The treatment definitely helped. My last occurrence was over a year ago. I was again prescribed the nasal spray and also Fluticasone to use on a daily basis when the symptoms improved. I no longer use the Fluticasone and coughing has not yet returned.

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cindykoch | @cindykoch | Sep 15, 2022

So just an update on my chronic cough… I have been to my primary doctor a couple times in the last couple weeks and my chest x-rays are clear. I am now being treated for whooping cough. It’s a test to see if it goes away. Her next guess is that it is my high blood pressure medicine that I have grown an intolerance to because lisinopril is known to cause a cough but I’ve been on it for almost 4 years now and she said it can happen at any time. I’ve always had the light cough that comes with lisinopril but over the last 2 1/2 months now I’ve had this chronic cough. So we’re experimenting I guess to see if it’s actually whooping cough or my lisinopril. I kind of feel like a lab rat right now

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