Dry persistent cough

[truebluemummy]

Hi guys.

My first post and really after some advice. I have been asthmatic since I was 14 (now 37) I have recently received a course of prednisone 40mg for a week ended up back to the gp but couldn't do anything and a&e at the weekend who put me back on prednisone 30mg for a further 5 days and clarithromycin carry on with inhalers and montelukast. I have a awful persistent dry cough which is there 24hrs I am hardly sleeping. I am drinking lots of water and warm drinks. I am taking fresh hot honeyand lemon. Vicks on feet and chest and back at night. Steaming over hot bowl of water as well as steam room at spa. I have had cough now for 2 weeks and I just don't know what else to do. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for reading my post. X

[Hidden]

Good morning truebluemummy and a warm welcome to HU site.

I feel for you, the coughing is just so exhausting. Have your inhalers been changed recently? I had heard that one of side effects of montelukast is a dry throat and cough so how long have you been on that medication? It's as well to explore all avenues.

There is sure to be someone along shortly who has more knowledge than I and will be able to offer you some helpful advice.

x

[SquirrelsHolt]

Hello and nice to see you have found this great site truebluemummy . press will help open up your airways but I'm not too sure if that will help you with your nadty dry cough. You will soon get lots of replies,from members who will know more.

Really,I was just jumping in to welcome you and trust you'll settle in just fine.

[Toci]

Welcome to the site. You should consider ringing the BLF nurses, who really are quite excellent, to get advice.

The number is 03000 030 555 and they are open during office hours.

[pergola]

Hullo and welcome. I think a persistent cough is irritating and tiring. I cant say anything further to what has been said but hope the cough goes. X

[peege]

Hi, a warm welcome to you.

I too have asthma. A few years ago it worsened, you've described how it was at the time only I didn't have the pred. It was a period when I began to have chronic lung infections and pneumonias which took an age to recover from.

Once on a GP visit she had a student doctor with her, as I entered coughing my boot up she said to the student "listen well and never forget, this is a classic asthma cough". It was such an eye opener to me. Sounds daft but I'd never coughed so insessently. It was only then that I clicked that that's when I needed to use the ventolin. I also discovered later that I'd not been using the preventer inhaler Seretide wrongly. So all that illness and suffering was mostly caused by uncontrolled asthma.

It's vital to keep your airways open, it's a vicious circle, coughing irritates and closes the airways which in turn makes you cough - non-stop.

I too take Montelukast for the allergy aspect of asthma, have the right inhaler for me, Fostair (so rarely need ventolin) & also take carbocysteine to help keep any lung mucus fluid & easier to expel. I wok at keeping my immune system tip top too to avoid catching anything.

Do you know what your allergic to? Now is a bad time of year for dust mites. if that's your allergy have you got hyper allergenic bedding and a good vacuum cleaner?

Toci suggests calling the BLF help line, a very good idea. We never get enough time with GPs or respiratory nurses to learn enough to stay well.

Good luck to you. Peege

PS I found a humidifier brilliant, also steam helps me although some find the opposite

[truebluemummy in reply to peege]

Thank you so much for your reply. I have been in a spa all day with lots of steam and didn't cough much. I come out and the cough starts again.

I don't know what my triggers are. I have not been this bad before. I know the weather, smoke and exercise starts me off at times.

I may give the helpline a call in the morning. My chest is so sore from coughing i feel exhausted not slept properly in days.

Drinking lots of water so my throat doesn't feel so dry all the time.

It's so hard. I am really struggling at the moment but I don't feel ill just exhausted from coughing all the time.

Claire

[Billybob10]

Check out Buteyko breathing.It is a revelation to me and helps a lot.all the best.

[truebluemummy in reply to Billybob10]

Thank you for this. my friend was also telling me about this yesterday. I shall look into this x

[JoHarr]

@truebluemummy,

Hi, I find Jakemans throat and chest sweets very soothing when I get that irritating

cough, the black ones with eucalyptus oil and menthol in them, from Boots or the Pound shop. Sucking one for a few minutes can be enough, they are not small, then I wrap the half sucked one back in the paper for later! I have severe copd!

Hope they work for you, good luck and best regards JoHarr