cough

[janeths466]

Hello all like mentioned before my mom gets random cough attacks here and there. She has been good post lobectomy (3 months) , but recently she gets scratchy throat and feel to cough. She lays down and recently has been inclined to not cough. Or when she goes out to the store and it is very cold with AC, she starts coughing. She drinks water and it gets better but she lives with fear from the last time she coughed prior to her diagnosis and lobectomy. They listen to her lungs in her dyalisis every 2 days. They say she sounds good, and she feels good. But these random coughs scare me because I am a bit traumatized from the bleeding cough she had before she was hospitalized. She is fine throughout the day, it only happens in the cold or when she lays down. She was intubated when she was in ICU so maybe. Anyways, any of u got advice? Post lobectomy coughs?

[Denzie Moderator Volunteer]

Sometimes the cough can persist because of the scarring.

[JanetteR57]

Could also be allergy or even unconscious habit. I've recently been told I have vocal cord dysfunction that is causing breathlessness as I've learnt to breathe unevenly (unsurprising as I had upper left lobectomy 8 years ago) so will now attend physiotherapy/rehab classes to relearn how to breathe more effectively without my vocal cords randomly closing. Worth asking about pulmonary rehab as her surgery is so recent.

[Miranda_GO2 Partner]

Hi Janeths466. It's completely understandable to be extra cautious of symptoms after a cancer diagnosis. Has your mother mentioned this to her doctor (not just the dialysis center staff)? A cough is a commonly reported symptom after a lobectomy and there can be a number of reasons for it that are unrelated to cancer such as acid reflux, COPD, etc. It's important to mention this to the doctor to see if there is something he/ she can do to improve the cough and to give you both peace of mind.

[Spainy]

My throat is still very sensitive after lobectomy 4+ years ago.