From Dave L.

I have been having treatment and investigations for a number of years now regarding my persistent cough. 

At long last the specialist sent me for am MRI scan, and low and behold they found "sub pleural fibrosis" and promptly put me on a hefty course of steroids, starting with 50 mgs of Prednisolone for 10 days then gradually reducing the dose, I am now on 2 mgs per day with a Qvar inhaler taken twice a day with a view to soon dropping the Prednisolone altogether, but to continue using the inhaler permanently. 

I have not coughed since starting the treatment some months ago, the relief is immeasurable.

Saturday Live response

I've now received lots of emails via Saturday Live, which are going to take some time to go through.  I'll be posting as many suggestions as I can on the blog over the next few weeks, so keep checking in if you're a sufferer.

One person suggests wrapping my chest tightly in brown paper!  Perhaps they're really saying I should post myself off to a far-flung place where I can happily cough myself into oblivion! 

First of all, an apology from Nick

I discovered today that quite a few people have written to me via the blog: I thought the program always sent an email to me when I received a comment, but that's not been the case, and I've only just found some of them, going back to last year.  I've published them now, so apologies for the delay. 

The interview broadcast on Saturday Live (April 26) prompted quite a bit of reaction as expected and I'm happy to share the comments with other fellow sufferers.  It also brought me in contact with some old friends who I'd lost touch with, which was nice.

I'm 5 months into the morphine now and I still feel that it's helping, but not curing, so when I get some time I'm going to trawl through the blog again, see what I've not tried, and have another go. But I hope in the meantime there are other people who are getting help, because there's a hell of a lot of wisdom building up on these pages!

Best wishes to all.

Three months on the morphine!

And my cough is quite a lot less troublesome. I'm sleeping better so I don't wake in the early hours and start coughing. I still do cough once I'm fully awake, but it doesn't last for too long. Then through the day it's variable and unpredictable. I'm still chewing a lot. In the evening it's not too bad, but then can be a problem when I try to get to sleep.
Overall though, I'm still glad to be taking the morphine and I'm following the advice to be on it for six months.
I was interviewed by Fi Glover on Radio 4's Saturday Live programme - it's not been transmitted yet but I anticipate a few more remedy suggestions when it does, and I'll pass them on.
Keep the coughing down, and your spirits up!!!!

The cough is easing off!

To Morven, and anyone else who's interested.... the morphine is definitely helping. I've been taking 10 mg. twice a day for the last week, and the coughing has eased during the day and evening. It's such a huge relief, though I'm not convinced that it's actually curing it. I still cough a lot in the morning so it feels like it's still lurking. But maybe I just need to allow time for my system to settle back to normal?
Something else that's also helping is that I've cut down my alcohol consumption quite a lot. That's partly to do with not wanting to mix drugs and alcohol too much, but I have also found that the less alcohol I have, the better chance I have of a good night's sleep.
Anyway, life's definitely taken a turn for the better, and I'm about to go and spend Christmas and New Year in Thailand so that will be another boost for my physical and mental well being!
Merry Christmas to all who've shared in my blog.

Marc, UK

Hi, have you tried chiropractic? I used to have cough for 4 months (dry, irrative cough) and I visited chiropractor who found tight joints from my back - after 1st treatment the cough was gone ;)

NP writes: I've had a similar suggestion from an osteopath, so I may investigate this one further.

Latest news from NickP:

I promised to report back a few weeks ago ..... nothing's working yet I'm afraid. The Bowen therapy was an interesting experience - very relaxing, and did produce a sort of result. For about five months I had had a pain in my side, between my ribs, which I and the doctors put down to the repeated coughing - pulled a muscle or ligament, maybe even cracked a rib, and the continued coughing wouldn't allow it to heal. Anyway on the day I went for my first referral it was particularly painful. I told the therapist, Alastair, about it and he said he'd try to help. Well I'm not sure what he did with his soft tissue manipulation, but by the end of the session it had gone, and hasn't returned.

But the cough shows no real signs of abating. I tried stopping drinking alcohol during the week, which helped me to sleep better but didn't affect the cough. I stopped chewing gum for a while too and drank lots of water - no difference. I've just finished a two-week course of marshmallow tablets, suggested by a couple of my blog correspondents - all to no avail. And now I've started on a course of homeopathic tablets prescribed by a lecturer at work ... we'll see.

NickP wrote:

I received a letter addressed to England, University of Central Lancashire, Nicholas Peake ... from Hong Kong, all written in beautiful Chinese characters. Fortunately, we have lots of Chinese students at my university and one of them translated for me, as follows:
Black bean: about a quarter of a kilogram.
Water: amount of 1 day drink (may put in small amount of sugar).
Boil them by weak fire for 3-4 hours.
Drink the boiled black bean water as daily drink. It would be best to eat the cooked black beans together with the water.
After 1 week of drinking, your coughing is hopefully be cured!

I've not had the nerve to try it yet!

Peter, letter from Co.Antrim

I'm writing to tell you of the beneficial emissions of spider plants, especially when grouped together. I surrounded my chair with 6 of them, plus 2 in the far corner of the room. It may be coincidental but I haven't had a cough or cold for 5 years now. They are supposed to clear the air and help the respiratory system. They are also a lovely plant to look at ...

Mrs.S, letter from Paignton, Devon

I had a persistent cough like you and was recommended marshmallow tablets, which can be obtained at a health food shop. After a couple of days I'm glad to say my cough went away. Good luck!