Night time coughing...

[Willow7733]

I would love one night of good quality sleep. I woke up again last night coughing like crazy. Has anyone used something like a diffuser for eucalyptus or peppermint to sooth the chest congestion? I find a fan blowing cool air helps me breathe a little better at work (people think I am going through menopause, but no, the cool air helps me catch my breath sometimes), but can’t stand it in my face to sleep. Just don’t know what to do to solve this problem. I don’t have a cold or anything, just a lot of phlegm.

[Troilus]

Have you tried your blue inhaler Willow? If I get a coughing fit, I use my blue on a spacer just breathing in and out. I don’t do the breathe in and hold method. I find that settles it, and if it is caused by phlegm it seems to open the airways allowing me to cough it up easily.

[Willow7733 in reply to Troilus]

I have. And it works. It is just that I wake up around twice per night and have to take it. It is like a wheezing rattling when I wake up, and then the coughing fit I have...now I am wide awake. I just want a good nights sleep. I work long hours and would really like to feel rested for once.

[Troilus in reply to Willow7733]

I don’t know what meds you take Willow, but if you are being woken up so often you might well benefit from an asthma review. May be your preventer dose needs to be increased or maybe you need an add on. I went through a patch of night time wakening and I was put on Montelukast. I have rarely woken up through the night since starting it. My morning peak flows are still very low, so I’m due another review to see what else can be done.

[Willow7733 in reply to Troilus]

I take some good medication, that usually is enough. Dulera for controller, Ventolin for emergencies, and Montelukast at night. Three times a year I get what I would say is a bad case of bronchitis/or pneumonia and I need some extra help. It happens every fall, winter, and spring. Maybe this is the beginning of that, and I do need to call my GP to get help getting over this hump.

[Troilus in reply to Willow7733]

Good thinking Willow. Hope all goes well. It is often best to try to get on top of things before they get out of hand.

[Willow7733 in reply to Troilus]

I have an appointment tomorrow. Which is surprises me, because that was very fast. My GP knows that I never all him very much, so when I do, he takes me right away. Which is very nice of him.

[Troilus in reply to Willow7733]

That’s very good Willow. I hope he can recommend something that will help you get a good night’s sleep.

[Willow7733 in reply to Troilus]

Me too! Last night I had a half hour. I thought I would have been more tired at work today, but I wasn’t. Hopefully tonight will go better. It makes me laugh how, at times, when you have a doctor appointment, the problem clears up! Maybe tonight I will have a great sleep!

[Suerkaplan]

I have significant chest congestion - especially in summer as I am allergic to mold. I use guaifenesin 24/7 and it really makes a difference. I find the best for me is from Guai-Aid, available on Amazon cheaper than at the manufacturer. Capsules of 600 mg are available - I think they work better for me than caplets. I do prefer a time release 1200 mg tablet at night so it will take me all the way through. I get mine from Sam's Club - again, cheaper alternative to Musinex. I did a search for Mucus in a shopping google page.

Also - inhaling steam can help to break it up if you want to get your lungs clear before bed.

Good Luck!!

[Willow7733 in reply to Suerkaplan]

Awesome! I will try that! Thank you.

[Hidden]

Try something along the lines of Benedryl.

[Willow7733 in reply to Hidden]

I will try anything at this point.

[wiserlady]

Hope this helps. For the phlegm try carbosisteine from doctor if in uk or get yourself guifenesin - I found it very hard to get this but managed to get it imported, find it is better than carbosisteine which can give you bad side effects after a bit - peppermint or eucalyptus oil is good, you could put it on a humidifier and have one in your bedroom. the fan blowing on you is great I do that too when needed. But get a powerful one that oscillates.

Lose weight. Just about every illness you can think of is helped by you being lighter and slimmer, unless you are already. Improve your diet. Eat more vegetables. Anything to do with the lungs gets help from this especially cauliflower, spinach, broccoli regularly, preferably every day. Cut down as much as you can on sugar. Some people find a salt machine or salt lamp or inhaler helps.

But ultimately it is best to figure out why your body is behaving this way and stop it.

Forget asking the doctor. You can unravel it better than them, you know yourself more,

you have far more memories of what has been happening, you have more time and you have more incentive. You piece it together like a jigsaw. I used to go to doctors and ask them for a diagnosis they would think of the first thing that came into their head and say that is what it is, when it did not even fit half of the symptoms. Then another person would guess something totally different the next time and so on.

Try acupuncture, it helps, but you need to go consistently at least once a week for at least ten weeks.

[Willow7733 in reply to wiserlady]

Wow! Thanks! I am trying most of these things he (I have worked out a better diet plan this week). My father used to tell me the best thing to eat are vegetables, lean meats, and cut out refined sugars and flour. I would feel so much better. So I am going to try a month of vegetables, lean meat, and fruit and see how that helps. My body is making all this access phlegm for a reason...just have to figure out why. I find what you say is so true. These days, you talk to your doctor on the phone. For a few minutes. What can they really do if they don’t see you?? I am better at figuring out what is going on myself.

[wiserlady in reply to Willow7733]

Nowadays I speak to a nurse on the phone - but I make sure its the one I like best that is always the same so we have continuity, he listens to me, he knows I do a lot of research and lets me choose my medicines etc most of the time. Veg and fruit are great, frozen and freeze dried is good too, tinned is not. Meat is not. Fish is . The phlegm is a nightmare isnt it. Do you get it just at the back of throat, also in nose? Is it very thick? can you cough it up?