I hope you get over your cough quickly and the pads become a distant memory.
I had my surgery late in the summer of 2010. I managed to play a few more rounds of golf, though, before cold weather set in.
The next spring, I was cleaning out my golf bag and found a pad in one of the pockets. I guess I had packed one in there just in case, but never needed it. With great joy, I threw it away, and you will soon throw yours away again, too.