Cough for three months but all tests drawing a blank. Any ideas?

[SingleCatLady]

Hi all, I caught a cold/cough around November time, just a seasonal virus, nothing serious. I took a Covid test at the time, which was negative. But the cough, phlegm, wheezing and breathlessness has remained, unfortunately. More worryingly, having not had an asthma attack in many months, I then had two in December.

By January, I was fed up and went to my asthma nurse. Since then, we have done blood tests, all normal, sputum sample, normal, and last week, a chest x-ray - normal.

The GP has given me 2 doses of oral steroids on the past month. and the nurse has given me an additional inhaler to take alongside my fostair.

The wheezing and breathlessness is really getting me down, and today I had another asthma attack which was so so frightening.

Has anyone come across an escalation in symptoms like this which tests can't explain?

My GP and asthma nurse are at a loss. The breathlessness is affecting everything I do, and I'm genuinely scared of the next attack 😕

Thanks in advance for any help x

[Ossing]

Hello SingkeCatLady,I relate with your situation in some ways. I started coughing in November 2024 until mid January 2025. I had a chest x-ray and scan. The results were not alarming according to the specialist. My maintenance and rescue medications didn't really help during that period. I'm presently on Trimbow 172/5/9 which I use with a spacer. I'm feeling much better. Coughing has reduced. Anything can trigger my asthma but I try to live daily with this condition. It can't go away so I adapt to life with asthma. What I miss is participating with my parish choir activities. I can't sing while coughing.

Courage and try to live positively with asthma.

[Nerja2012]

Hi , I had the very same thing at Christmas, 4 lots antibiotics 3 steroid, extra inhaler, chest x Ray, all OK , cough and breathlessness still persited, I even had to go for an echocardiogram to check the shortness of breath wasn't heart related , last thing was full bloods as they where scratching their heads, turned out my Vit D levals where on the floor at 20, Got medication for 3 months , still feel exhausted and really poorly, cough still there and breathless but getting less each day, asthma starting to improve thank goodness, it takes time after you have been so ill, sounds like you are getting care. I wish you well and hope you soon improve. M

[Fix21]

Hi there, sorry to hear of your suffering. Is your asthma managed by your GP or a hospital consultant? I think three months is a long time to feel the way you do with no improvement. If none of the medications are working I wonder if it's time to ask for a referral to a respiratory consultant? Blood tests are often normal in asthma apart from raised eosinophils but only if that's the kind of asthma you have, and even then they often fluctuate. X-rays are usually normal too. I hope you get some relief soon, best wishes x

[Loubprv]

HiStrangely I get all the asthma posts as well as those relative to me ( I have a blood cancer and non existent immunity) I don't have asthma.

I started with a cold on December 13th which lapsed into a gravelly voice and a cough, which I still have.

Can't tell you how many lovely invitations I ve declined since mid December! I refuse to infect anyone else but am wondering if I am actually still infectious .....

I haven't tried any meds, I swallow enough chemicals as it is

Hope you recover soon

Louise

[Patk1]

Last winter the 100 day cough was often reported on, after winter viruses.My asthma can be left very reactive after infections, for extended periods .perhaps yr dr/ asthma nurse might prescribe an extended,slow reducing course of steroids or alternatively MART regime + also using salbutamol whn needed? The aluk helpline is 9-5 mon- Fri if u want to discuss with them

0300 222 5800

[SingleCatLady]

Thank you everyone 💓 Some really good ideas, and I don't feel I'm the only one going through it now! I'll get back in touch with my asthma nurse next week and ask to be referred back to the hospital.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Hi, I definitely find viruses can stir my asthma up for a while, even ones which didn't seem too much of an issue at the time.

My mild asthma came back after swine flu and turned into severe asthma over time. I had COVID twice which stirred things up a bit and wasn't fun but didn't really have long term effects on my asthma. In contrast, RSV made my asthma way more twitchy for months!! I've also had 'normal' colds which led to hospital admissions.

I feel like a lot of what's out there about viruses and asthma just talks about what happens while you have it and the effect of the symptoms on your asthma - but that's really not the full picture at all. For a while, I'd have an asthma attack at the tail end of every cold, but not during it and I could not seem to get my GP at the time to understand that.

In contrast, with a bacterial chest infection, an asthma flare can be the first or only symptom for me and I either won't get the classic symptoms till later or won't really get them much at all.

I definitely agree with Patk1 to call the nurses on the helpline. And  Fix21 is very right that X-rays and blood tests are often normal in asthma and that not everyone has eosinophilic asthma - I suspect it's just better known because most of the targeted drugs have been developed for it.

[Matrix]

I have the same thing for around 3-4 years ,I saw a specialist for it He asked me how many cups of tea I had a day . Six I said whilst trying to tell him that it’s really hot water as IDon’t have milk or sugar in it and half teaspoon of husbands tea before he added milk . He wasn’t listening told to cut down the tea.. Result is still got a cough that is getting worse . This cough can be caused by GERD though Sorry I can’t help more , but your not alone , it’s a very annoying cough . 💖💖

[fraid]

Good advice above but I wonder if it could be induced by an allergy still? Cats, I'm allergic to, can cause me to cough, asthma etc though still have my cat beside me now with help from preventer and cetirizine if bad. Also triggers are mould house dust etc. are you better away from your house? Just a thought. 🤔

[SingleCatLady in reply to fraid]

I'm wondering that too - I moved house in January, so I did think that all the dust that gets disturbed when you are packing/unpacking could be causing the increased attacks? But I don't know if that would explain the constant cough, wheezing and phlegm. My chest and back muscles hurt from all the coughing, & that's without having asthma attacks aswell!

[Homely2 Administrator in reply to SingleCatLady]

It would be interesting to go for a short break somewhere, without a cat, and see if your asthma is better. Obviously need to be careful, where you go, if your asthma is unhappy.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to SingleCatLady]

The dust could be causing it - and that could be the case even if you're not allergic. I had an attack once after moving and the resp doctor in hospital reminded me dust is an irritant so it can trigger asthma even without allergies.

Just to check, is the cough what you usually get with asthma? It sounds like you're seeing it as separate from your asthma and I wondered if it's either a new asthma symptom for you or feels different. Does your inhaler help the cough, even temporarily?

Sometimes you can have a cough that lingers for ages after a viral infection and is kind of self-perpetuating. I used to have this problem and saw a respiratory physio to help. It was hard but now I know it's a thing I apply the techniques so I don't have that on top of asthma.

I still have a cough at times now with asthma, but I know it is asthma and it responds to asthma treatment which the other one didn't. Annoyingly, some medics seem to not recognise that cough can be an asthma symptom. Or they divide asthma into wheeze or cough variant, though it's possible to have both.

I should say my post-viral cough was dry and I wasn't bringing up phlegm - I was taught to suppress it which was right for me but not necessarily for others if you're still bringing things up.

It may be helpful to see a respiratory physio in any case, if you can - to help with chest clearance and any bad breathing habits you may have picked up. Though they can be difficult to access outside a hospital. It may be worth discussing with your GP and asthma nurse and if you have the funds, seeing if a good private respiratory physio is available. Or chat it through with the helpline nurses as suggested above.

[SingleCatLady in reply to Lysistrata]

Thank you, that's really helpful. It's really hard to differentiate and tell whether the cough, breathlessness and phlegm is due to an asthma flare up or something completely separate.

Today I have bought an air filter. Am going to see if it makes any difference, it may be able to filter some of the dust from the air.

[runcyclexcski]

If it's in the winter, can be the dry air that triggers the twitchy airways (and that happens if the air is 100% pure of particles and VOC). I solved this (winter-specific) problem by measuring the relative humidity and bringing it up to 45-50%. If you have good ventilation and heating, the air during the winter can have RH 30% in the UK (where it barely freezes), and even lower if it gets "properly" cold.

If you do allergy testing, try to insist on blood IgE rather than scratch-tests. I've seen my scratch-tests showing as negative and then turning up properly in the IgE panel (ELISA, I believe).

[Petetriplet]

Hi, same with me along with chest infections! Already have asthma. A few weeks ago saw a respiratory consultant privately. Recommended a High resolution CT of my lungs. It revealed I had Bronchiectasis in my right lower lung lobe.

I still have the cough, I sometimes feel tired and occasionally breathless. I have a rescue pack of steroids and long antibiotics off the doctor - inaddition a sleep test for Sleep Apnea as those with respiratory issues can suffer - yes I have sleep apnea - hope you get your condition sorted

Best wishes

Pedro