1. < MAC & Bronchiectasis

Managing coughing fits in public.

Posted by pled @pled, Mar 13, 2023

Does anyone have any strategies for attempting to control coughing fits in public places? I am thinking most specifically about flying, or other situations when you are in close quarters.
I nebulize albuterol 3X daily, budesonide 2X daily, use an acapella flutter valve 2X daily and a vibrating vest 2X daily. I don't cough up much and find myself having fits of dry coughing probably at least once a day. I rely on cough drops to calm things down.
For whatever reason, it bothers me to have a fit around strangers when they can't freely move away from me. I always wear a mask and am never without cough drops.
When we fly, I take two Robitussin cough gels which usually help for awhile, and suck on cough drops pretty much continually. But there is usually some breakthrough coughing somewhere along the line and I feel uncomfortable/sad/anxious as well as coughing my head off. It kind of takes the fun out going places sometimes.
I'm hoping some of you have found other solutions to keep the coughing tamped down in these kinds of situations. Any help would be most appreciated.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

amyblossoms | @amyblossoms | Mar 14, 2023

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

REPLY
4 replies
cate123456 | @cate123456 | Mar 14, 2023

Amy — on Amazon there is the Clear lungs extra strength that is a decongestant and there is the plain Clear lungs. Which one worked for you?
Thanks!
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Clear+lung+max&crid=29SF7GSDLRF6H&sprefix=clear+lung+max%2Caps%2C117&ref=nb_sb_noss

REPLY
pled | @pled | Mar 14, 2023
In reply to @amyblossoms "Hi there, I'm sorry to hear about the coughing jags. I feel you - it happens..." + (show)
@amyblossoms

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

Jump to this post

Thanks, Amy. There’s a lot of good information in your post. Some of it is not new to me, but I am perhaps not as diligent as I should be about my food. I hadn’t really thought about the lung- stomach connection. I found your thoughts on treating our throats gently something to think about as well. You seem to have a very healthy “whole person” approach to this, which I appreciate. It was good hearing from you!

REPLY
sbgscdjd | @sbgscdjd | Mar 15, 2023
In reply to @amyblossoms "Hi there, I'm sorry to hear about the coughing jags. I feel you - it happens..." + (show)
@amyblossoms

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

Jump to this post

Amy: Great posting, thanks. When I have a coughing fit people around me scatter! Your tips are great..but I went on Amazon and found many herbal clear lung options. Could
you please post the brand and exact name of product. thanks
Seth

REPLY
1 reply
frankie160 | @frankie160 | Mar 15, 2023
In reply to @amyblossoms "Hi there, I'm sorry to hear about the coughing jags. I feel you - it happens..." + (show)
@amyblossoms

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

Jump to this post

Hi Amy,

I too learned a lot from your post and was particularly interested in your review of the supplement you are using..... Ridgecrest Clear Lung Classic or is it Ridgecrest Clear Lung Extra Strength?
Would like to try it immediately and thank you for this tip!!!

My immediate crisis is the non-stop coughing which is now happening every 1/2 hour for the last 2 weeks I have had this productive cough on and off with coughing fits for the last 7 months that can last up to 30 seconds which as you know can be exhausting and debilitating. I was diagnosed with MAC in May, 2022 and I have had what I thought was early stage Emphysema and Bronchiectasis for over 10 years, until last year when the MAC was discovered.
Just had a recent CT Scan of the chest on first review looks better than the scan from last year. Seeing the Doc on 3/24 for a full look see. I've been trying all the usual strategies, devices and medicines to calm this cough down and nothing seems to be working. It could be that I'm not giving things enough time to kick in.....or something else like an allergic reaction is taking place.

Best,
Flo @frankie160

REPLY
pacathy | @pacathy | Mar 18, 2023

I had terrible post nasal drip and coughing fits last summer for a long time. I delayed a couple trips and skipped meals with friends because of them. The pulmonologist thought it might be contributing to all the tree in bud and mucus plugging on X-rays. He started Asteline and nasocort which helped a LOT with the fits. The ENT he sent me to gave me prednisone and AB's which has me pretty clear. Mayo is changing the spray to their triple spray.
During the months with the fits, peppermint hard candy helped
more than anything, including Hall's.

REPLY
1 reply
pled | @pled | Mar 18, 2023
In reply to @pacathy "I had terrible post nasal drip and coughing fits last summer for a long time. I..." + (show)
@pacathy

I had terrible post nasal drip and coughing fits last summer for a long time. I delayed a couple trips and skipped meals with friends because of them. The pulmonologist thought it might be contributing to all the tree in bud and mucus plugging on X-rays. He started Asteline and nasocort which helped a LOT with the fits. The ENT he sent me to gave me prednisone and AB's which has me pretty clear. Mayo is changing the spray to their triple spray.
During the months with the fits, peppermint hard candy helped
more than anything, including Hall's.

Jump to this post

Hi pacathy. Thanks for responding to my post. What is AB'S?

REPLY
1 reply
frankie160 | @frankie160 | Mar 18, 2023
In reply to @sbgscdjd "Amy: Great posting, thanks. When I have a coughing fit people around me scatter! Your tips..." + (show)
@sbgscdjd

Amy: Great posting, thanks. When I have a coughing fit people around me scatter! Your tips are great..but I went on Amazon and found many herbal clear lung options. Could
you please post the brand and exact name of product. thanks
Seth

Jump to this post

Seth,
I wrote to Amy Blossoms and asked the same question. She liked my post but no response as of yet re: Correct Clear Lung, so I ordered the Ridgecrest Clear Lung Classic. Hope to report back with good news.
Have always resisted cough suppressants, but I can no longer endure the crazy coughing fits plus my Pulmon said I can use the following until our next visit on 3/24.
Walmart's Equate Brand - Tussin DM MAX
Cough and Chest Congestion DM
Controls cough, Relieves chest congestion, Thins and loosens mucus. Secondly, I have had some relief along with sipping warm tea with honey as soon as I feel the first itch to cough. These two strategies right now have reduced my excessive coughing by about 50%. Good Luck!
Flo @frankie160

REPLY
2 replies
frankie160 | @frankie160 | Mar 18, 2023

Non-Stop Chronic Coughing more than 40 plus times per day and night.
Have gone out of my mind with these crazy coughing fits for more than 3 weks. Any other tips from Sue and other members of our community, please?
I have always resisted cough suppressants. but I can no longer endure the crazy coughing fits plus my Pulmon said I can use the following until our next visit on 3/24. Other strategies have not worked on a timely basis.
Walmart's Equate Brand - Tussin DM MAX
Cough and Chest Congestion DM
Controls cough, Relieves chest congestion, Thins and loosens mucus. Secondly, I have had some relief along with sipping warm herbal tea with honey as soon as I feel the first itch to cough. These two strategies right now have reduced my excessive coughing by about 40% but not sure this is the best way to go over the long run.
Flo @frankie160

REPLY
1 reply
pacathy | @pacathy | Mar 19, 2023
In reply to @pled "Hi pacathy. Thanks for responding to my post. What is AB'S?" + (show)
@pled

Hi pacathy. Thanks for responding to my post. What is AB'S?

Jump to this post

Antibiotics. Sorry.

REPLY
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