Hello
I have had a chronic cough for about 3 years, doctor sent me to a Respitory consultant which I am seeing at the moment but he doesn’t seem to know what is a matter, I’ve had lots of test and all he says ‘it may be this or it may be that’ so I’m trying to find out myself because this cough is crippling at the moment.
I have never smoked is it possible I could have COPD as a non smoker.
Thank you
This describes me almost permanently except my cough lasted for five years. 14 years ago I was diagnosed with asthma and bronchiecstasis. I’ve now had ILD added to the list. I have never smoked, and nobody in my family smokes.
Hi Diver6,
I had a cough for years until our forum members suggested reflux might b the cause. I had a test right down into my stomach, result “Severe reflux” I’m now on dosal, and Famidine. No reflux. Insist on a reflux stomach test. I’m a new person. An esophagus test gave a negative result for me. I had to insist on a stomach test.
Best of luck BERNARDINE CARROLL
Hi
Is this reflux stomach test a 24 hour one where they insert tubes up your nose and down in to your stomach.
I went for what I thought was a camera down, and the consultant said bluntly …right I’m going to insert this tube up your nose……….i didn’t know anything about this test and the way he approached it, scared me to be truthful and I said ‘I don’t think so’.
If it had all been explained to me, I might of had it.
At a follow up he said he didn’t think it would of sorted my problem out anyway.
Anyone can get COPD Second hand smoke, poor environment pollution, we never know what we have been inhaling
I had a horrendous endoscopy where the camera got stuck and I desaturated O2. They found that my oesophagus was pressing on my trachea but it solved nothing until 6 months later, someone reviewed my scans and noticed damage to my trachea, Please keep persevering with them! My damage is COVIID caused but its listed as a type of COPD .. nothing at all to do with smoking etc etc .. or lifestyle.
The test takes around 20 to 30 mins. Under light sedation A camera tube is inserted into your mouth down into the stomach.
You will b awake.
U feel nothing. The doctor may talk to u during the procedure.
The Doctor looks at a screen and gives u the result before u leave the hospital.
I felt no discomfort.
Insist your GP refers u for this test.
BERNARDINE
Thank you for that, is it an Endoscopy if it is, I have had a couple of them and they came back ok.Somebody on here told me the proper name for what I was offered, I will hunt it down.
Since I had Covid on four occasions, I have developed a cough which is like a bark. It took scans to discover that I developed Tracheomalacia which meant that my Trachea lining has been damaged by Covid and coughing. I have never smoked. It is so unusual that they missed seeing anything for over 6 months. Coughing affects me breathing OUT and causes me to choke. Please ask them to look very carefully at scans Xrays etc etc and I hope they sort the problem. Incidentally Tracheomalacia is now classed as a form of COPD , The NHS love putting things in boxes don't they but it means that I get the wrong treatment when being hopsitalised!!
Have u had a chest ct scan
yes, came back I had some cracked glass on my lungs ( small markings) which he said he would keep an eye on. I’ve had that many tests , I have to think what I’ve had and not had, getting quiet fed up with all this, and the cough and phlemn/mucus chokes me.
I find I’m getting out of breath after coughing and have to wait a bit before I can start talking.
i do hope things settle for you. it’s difficult to get your head round too isn’t it xxx
Only a chest CT scan will diagnose bronchiectasis. You must insist on GP referring you for this. Completely painless too! Good luck. xx
Hi I also have a cough , long term. I have never smoked I have been diagnosed as having Ideopathiic Pulmonary Fibrosis
I had a cough for 2 years, had a chest x-ray and nothing showed up but when I had a CT scan I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis.
a cough can be caused by bacterial, viral, fungal infections, allergy or anxiety, once the infections are ruled out that leaves the last two. Mine was caused by allergic reaction to stomach acid fumes, the excess acid is down to a lazy oesophagus and hiatus hernia. Confirmed by a gastroscopy (camera down throat), now on Omeprazole and coughing much reduced. Try Gaviscon it initially work for me and coughing stopped straight away
I have all that and had camera, I take Lansoprazole and gaviscon 4 times a day but still have cough and phlemn after breakfast and evening meal, also when I first sit in the car, I sometimes wonder is it the way I sit in the car, maybe Agrivating my hiatus hernia.
Also I had a barium meal which showed I had thinning of the osophagus, but still on the above medicine which nothing seems to help.
Hi I have bronchiectasis asthma and copd and have never smoked ,the respiratory consultant says I had poorly controlled asthma which then developed into copd(emphysema)and bronchiectasis I had whooping cough as a child and apparently that affected my lungs with scarring
did he carry out a FeNo breath test? I developed a cough in February after Covid which I assumed was due to my COPD but it wouldn’t go, after 6 months of spluttering a FeNo test showed substantial lung inflammation which led to a diagnosis of underlying Asthma, a few weeks of Predisilone and now daily use of a Trimbow inhaler and am right as rain 👍
It sounds as if you may have Bronchiectasis which can only, I believe be diagnosed with a CT scan. Worth asking if this is what you have
Do you have alot of mucus and if so do you do lung clearance. I had an infection in my sinus's for a long time which caused a dreadful cough and found antihistamine helped until they cleared the problem x
Hi I have Asthma and Bronchiectasis and I sound like I have whooping cough 🙃 I was on omeprasol due to GERD and Had been on it for two years; I became concerned about the links to arthritis, having developed osteopenia in my hand. I used a herbalist to get off it, using initially slippery elm powder. Now I only need coconut water of I feel acidic.
Dear diver,I had continuos cough for months, I complained with my GP and, because I sopped smoking at that time she told me that my lungs were clearing.
After two monts I saw her again and she told me to wait ....one month later I spat mucus and blood...finally she sent me for an x ray wich showed a nodule.
followed bronchoscopy after another month that showed a tumour , done PET scan and twonths later had surgery .
Wasting those months(3) at the beginning of my complaints let the tumour grow; result?
By the time of operation it became bigger (5 cm) and was necessary the removal of the entire left lung.
Now, after 7 years, I struggle for breathing and need oxygen 24/7, something I could have avoided if the x ray was done earlier but in order to save NHS money the GP disregarded the matter...now I am asking myself if probably was better to pay (at that time) less than 100 pounds and have the exam 3 months earlier
Suggestion: if you can afford go private at least for the diagnosis,going through the NHS route will mean at least 2/3 months for a scan that can be done here in london for few hundred quids(300/400)
sorry for spoiling your day mate but : "better be safe than sorry".
Best of health
Pasquino
No i get that Paquino. i haven’t had the money to intervene until now. but will not hesitate to dip into my piggy bank in future. it’s about quality of life and if the NHS don’t care or are negligent by failing to listen to a patient —. it has to be a visit to My GP , a set up where you can see a GP and get the tests you want done. Good luck
hi, 7 years ago I had a lung function test and was diagnosed with Asthma and COPD! My gp decided to keep treating me with asthma. In March this year I was admitted to hospital with a COPD exacerbation, and was on oxygen and a nebuliser for 8 days then transferred back to my doctor. I’m 87 have never smoked in my life. Now I feel as though it is a smoker’s cough I have every morning. It is so hard to get rid of the mucus and phlegm. Anybody with any advice or anything to trial . There are so many adverts all claiming to be the best.
Cough different from usual
Cough,cough,cough
Persistent cough
Cough! Cough! Cough!!
