Hi there,

I'm sorry to hear about the coughing jags. I feel you - it happens to me sometimes, too.

Here's what's helping me thrive (and avoid coughing fits):

I don't drink alcohol or eat foods that are highly acidic, sugary, super salty or fried. Womp womp.
I'm ALWAYS nursing a cup of delicious, warm herbal tea to keep my throat from drying out.
And I keep Ricola on hand because sometimes the tea isn't enough.

For me, coughing fits are often triggered after I eat a meal. It helps if I take my time and eat smaller meals s l o w l y so I'm not overfilling my stomach. Same with liquids, no chugging the tea. 😉 The goal is to avoid having acid irritate my lungs and my airways / throat. I try to avoid meals right before meetings / confined spaces with people, which can be tricky.

I find sometimes that the airway clearance meds can dry out my throat, so I've made adjustments that are working for my situation. I was diagnosed with Bronchiectasis in 2014 (& MAC on and off again). I am somewhat stable, maybe even considered mild or moderate, so I typically only nebulize once a day in the morning with albuterol and hypotonic saline 7%. When I do too much clearing, I risk the possibility of irritating my airways and triggering hemoptysis. It's a balancing act.

NERD ALERT: I keep a log of when I nebulize (and how many vials of saline I use) and what my symptoms are. I'm going to do a food log again to see what's changed and what needs adjusting.

GOOD NEWS: I recently started taking 2 Clear Lung MAX herbal supplements once a day. The effect was immediate, especially regarding coughing fits. (someone here posted that they were having good results, and I was considering it, so I pulled the trigger - I'm so glad I did!) My peak flow meter goal is 500, for years I've only been able to hit 400-425. Since starting the Clear Lung about a week+ ago, I'm hitting 450-480 daily.

I also do yoga in the morning and meditate twice a day. It helps with my overall well being.

Be well,

Amy