Lots of coughing

[pverde9901]

Hello y'all,

My Dad is plugging along through chemo and a radiation trial. His most recent chemo on Monday has him coughing like mad so much so that he feels short of breath. It's pretty scary. I wonder if any of you have experience with this? Would cough suppressant work?

Thank you

[Davidatp]

Hi, I’ve been through chemo and radiation as well. I finished my treatments in July of 2009. I still cough fairly often mainly due to mucus. I take mucinex, N.A.C., and I do pursed lip breathing exercises often. It doesn’t make the coughing go away but helps greatly. God bless and keep the faith.

[PegD]

Good to hear that your Dad is still in the trial and doing well! I never experienced coughing during or after chemo or radiation but I’m wondering if his cough might be related to the radiation therapy which sometimes can cause radiation pneumonitis. I was told this could be possible with radiation and to call immediately if I noticed any new symptoms. Pneumonitis is typically treated with steroids and from what I’ve heard, this usually reduces the coughing. If it were me, I’d call his doc and let them know of this new development. They sooner they know the better they can treat. Wishing you the best.

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

Don’t add a new medicine without consulting his doctor or the trial nurse. Changes like the cough should always be reported.

For a non medicated way to bring relief try some honey in hot water. Honey is high in anti inflammatory antioxidants and has been used to treat burns and irritation for millennia.

[Feelingblessed2013]

The others are right, a call to his doctor is in order. After my last LC surgery I was having an issue with coughing and sinus congestion, my oncologist told me to use musinex.

In the meantime, Denzie's suggestion about some honey in hot water is spot on. I like the pure unfiltered raw honey, just don't use it too much. A little bit in hot water should help curb the coughing. Just keep in mind, you can't give honey to a baby because their immune system isn't very strong yet, your dad's immune system is trashed right now.

[anrean]

The oncologist should know about this right away. Adding a medication without talking to the oncologist could have unwanted changes in the chemo. The oncologist prescribed medication which has helped greatly