annoying cough

[mariajane23]

Does anyone else have this problem i can,t even enjoy a meal with out coughing its so frustrating

[hilbean]

Are you on chemo? My husband coughs after a full day of infusions but we have been told that happens with chemo and they call it chemo cough. Though it doesn't seem to persist for the full 3 weeks of tablets afterwards. It's a little difficult to be sure for us though as my husband is asthmatic anyway. It might be worth talking to your doctor? Hope you feel better with it soon

[SteveJ]

Hi Mariajane

You don't say how long ago you had your surgery but I'm guessing it's fairly recent. The cough you are getting is probably caused by reflux and it's something most of us get initially, it does go in time but is a bit of a pain. As always though it is a good idea to run it by your GP and for your own peace of mind. Hope this is of some help.

Kind Regards

Steve

[Hidden]

It might be worth thinking about whether your mouth and throat are dry. Keeping the saliva glands moist can help a bit. Also a spoonful of honey and other soothing things. The taste buds and saliva glands have probably had a bashing and take time to recover, and coughs are persistent for a while. I suspect that it may sometimes be the sensitivity of food irritating the surgical joint, but it may not be so in your case. Coughs can indeed sometimes be reflux-related.

[margie1]

Hi yes i too have the same problem, i know how frustrating it is I have told my Oncologist everytime i see her but apparently its something I have to put up with !!! I dont enjoy eating anymore. I also cough alot when I have acid/heartburn etc Hope you can get it sorted please keep me updated on how you are and how you deal with the problem x

[alexLS14]

Hi. Tomorrow is the second anniversary of my surgery. I have developed a cough when I eat - this has got worse over the past 6 months. I understand that it could be irritation of the 'joint' when food passes through. Pepper on food seems to make it worse. It can be embarassing at times as people think that I am about to choke! It sometimes ends up with a sneeze. It may be something that we have to put up with - but hey - what was the alternative? Good luck

[patientskipper]

I am 6 years post surgery and I agree with most of what people have said but there is another reason why more than a normal amount of coughing takes place. Having suffered myself I asked my surgeon why I had prolonged periods of coughing and he said that it is inevitable when doing an oesophagectomy that some of the nerves, which make the cilia in the trachea beat in waves, will be cut. This means that one's ability to cough up anything one has inhaled is seriously impaired and hence it takes longer to clear one's windpipe. I hope this is helpful.

[Hidden in reply to patientskipper]

That's a good point. Thank you.