A forum for people who suffer from chronic or persistent coughs to share ideas... these don't have any sort of official approval so you try any of them out at your own risk. I've consigned some of the more unusual ones I received to the Oddities bin on the left. I've also listed very simple remedies separately. If you're a sufferer, good luck, and please report back by commenting on the particular posting if you find success. Or just comment to the most recent posting and I will pick it up.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Latest from me:

It's nice that every now and then someone new finds my blog and leaves a comment - Lavinia is the latest to attach something to the entry that follows this (see Update: April 24). But still, no-one's coming up with a definitive cure that will put us coughers out of our collective misery...
I've recently been to my specialist cough clinic in Manchester and, though they're very welcoming, there was nothing much new to offer.  I'm waiting for a referral to a speech therapist (interesting to see Lavinia's comments), and there's also talk of me trying a nebuliser - again - so my specialists are coming up with similar ideas to hers.

I had a call from the professor who leads my cough clinic the other day, asking me to take part in the trial of a new treatment that he thought was promising. But unfortunately because of my smoking history (in their jargon I totted up 20 pack years, though I stopped 20 years ago!) I'm not eligible to take part, so I have a long wait to see if this one is successful - then it might become available.

Meantime, and in desperation, I'm currently seeing an expert in hypnotherapy and EFT. I'm not optimistic but will try anything .... and will keep you informed.
Best wishes to everyone out there. And feel free to read through more of the genuine, promising, and crackpot ideas scattered through the rest of the blog.

Nick

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ive been coughing for around 13 years. Ive read your Mail article (again)and your symptoms are exactly the same as mine. Ecxept i DONT cough at night. I also live in Leigh Lancs.
Im in limbo at the moment as the specialists seemed to have lost interest.
Keep us upto date

NickP said...

Thanks for the comment Anonymous - I'll listen out for you when I'm out and about in Leigh!

The EFT/Hypnotherapist didn't work for me - I've tried it before, and I don't seem to get under the influence, if you know what I mean.

The only thing that helps me at the moment is sleeping tablets, which mean that I sleep through the night and don't wake up early, which triggers off the cough ... but that's not a long-term solution.

I now have appointments lined up for nebuliser and speech therapist, so will post again...

Anonymous said...

I've got a tickly cough which has just lasted over 2 months.... and even that is very debilitating, so I can understand what you have been going through Nick.

I wanted to ask, where is it tickling inside your throat? as for myself, it feels as if it is tickling on the left side.

My symptoms are the same as yours, except I don't cough at night, either. I even tried to resist coughing and this didn't help either. I was prescribed Antibiotics, which had no effect, then a nasal spray which had little effect, now a preventer inhaler (because the docs think I have asthma) and this doesn't have any effect either.

Nick, all the best to you, and I hope that someone can come up with the perfect cough solution to the problem.

Stuart

Michael23 said...

Hello, I'm happy I found this blog. I bookmarked the article in 2007 from Mail online, UK site. I just happened to rediscover your blog while sorting through thousands or so Bookmarks. My name is Michael, I'm 38 years old from the states (Indiana Specifically). Anyway, I've been coughing for Nine years. I cough so hard that my nose bleeds, which frankly is better than passing out( Done that too.) When I finish my college finals in six days, I will read all your post, and tell my story as well. Brilliant Blog by the way...

Julius said...

Try Missing sugar and palm oil together, take 2-Table spoon in the Morning, Noon and Evening for 1week.
It also helps and cure it permanently.

caroline said...

Hi Nick,
Have been reading your blog. I have had terrible cough for 10 years. I am 42. I believe you have already tried buteyko ? how long did you do it for ? you have to put huge amount of time and effort in, over several weeks before you might start to see results. I have been doing it fr 3 weeks, and now my control pause is around 20, my cough is reducing noticably. In order to get rid of the cough, the control pause has to be over 40. That will take me months , but I will get there because I am desperate ! how far did you get with the breathing exercises ? can you remember what your control pause was ? best wishes, caroline.

Michael23 said...

Hello fellow hackers. Here is an article from the BBC from 2009. Sorry if it's a repost.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8144251.stm

I'm trying to locate updates to their progress. Surgeries: I've had a Nissen fundoplication, tonsils removed, and two sinus surgeries (Maxillary, and Frontal). Test/diagnostics: Botox injections in my vocal cords, Scope/biopsy of nodules in the posterior wall of the esophagus, Methacholine challenge with positive results for asthma, allergy shots for one year, X-ray's/CT's and MRI's (Oh My) and finally I did the whole speech pathology regime with various medications and was thought to have laryngeal sensory neuropathy. I should note, that nothing has helped except for the Nissen, which slowed the coughing down for a period, and completely stopped the vomiting which usually occurred after a meal.(cough induced) Medication: Medication has been the most helpful and all was taken at different intervals. Lyrica 75mg bid (sensory neropathy) Cymbalta 15Mg(some success), Amitriptyline, Prednisone, Symbicort, Q-var, nebulizer, (Albuterol and Xopinex), allergy shots, Nexium, Prevacid, Numerous nasal steroids, and the most helpful Tussinex. I've been on Tussinex for over Two years and I can't function without it. It stops my cough but is a Narcotic. I'm currently back in school full time at Indiana University in the medical school for radiography. I've been taking every medical class I can find that can offer a clue to what is wrong with us. I wish you all the best of luck and will keep you updated with what I have found. Here is another link (not able to make active for some reason)

http://www.fauquierent.net/cough.htm

Cheers, Mike

magbatt said...

Hello Nick and all,
I've had my cough for 20 years. Used to go away in the summer, but came back when we turned the heat on. Now it never goes away and is getting worse all the time. I can't go out in public or work without a half a Vicodin 5/500.

It started the year we converted from oil to gas forced air heat. The old formula Dimetap 12 hour tablets used to work, at double the dose. I lived on those for two or three years 24/7 until I was diagnosed with Lupus. Having always bee exceedingly healthy, I thought perhaps the double dosing of the Dimetap all day everyday might have triggered the Lupus so I stopped taking it. 1000 mgs of Vitamin C used to work - for two hours at a time when I was at work.
Pseudoephedrine HCI(30mg)used to dry me up so I could get through six or so hours of work, but pushed my blood pressure way up, and doesn't work anymore anyway. Mucinex (as per the allergist) loosened the sinuses a bit, but just made me gag more on the drip.
Non of the inhalers have worked.
We didn't turn the furnace on at all this winter (burrrr) just used a couple of sealed oil space heaters. Had the cough anyway.

Right now I have a part-time life saver. 1/2 a vicodine will last me exactly three hours. (Vicodin - Hydrocod/APAP. NO cough at all! I've been using old stuff from any source I can get me hands on -- from past dental visits, husband"s surgery, friends, etc. It's so tightly controlled here that I know my GP won't give me any, and she won't refer me to a lung specialist. Same as you - I"ve been to GPs, my rhuematolgists, Naturopaths, Accupuncturists, etc.
Have done the elimination diets, and am now doing the gluten free thing - no change. Some docs are ok with longterm Vicodin use, if any of you can find some, I'd at least try it. Not goodto take all the time. I only work part time three or four days a week, so I take it then, when I go out in public, and especially to a wedding, movie, or important meeting. I simply can't do any of those things otherwise. I never take it at home. Glad I found your site - did so while poking around looking for help. Good luck to you all!
Midge

 
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