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Posted 10/3/2013 1:47 AM (GMT 0)
I just found this forum and hoping someone else has been in my shoes. I've had a chronic, irritating cough for about two years now; it's gotten worse in the last six weeks, though nothing in my life has changed except going back to school (I'm a teacher). My general practitioner and I thought it was post-nasal drip and/or allergies (I get bad sinus infections several times a year) and he put me on Mucinex a few times (which didn't help). I finally went to an ENT a few weeks ago; he stuck a tubal microscope up my nose and down my throat and said I have acid reflux. He put me on omerpezole (probably spelled that wrong - Prilosec, basically), 20mg x 2/day and said it'd take 6-8 weeks to take effect.

It's been about two weeks since I started those pills and a week since I cut out coffee, tea, pop, and whole milk from my diet. I'm limiting fatty foods, too. But I've had a sinus infection and pinkeye this week, and my cough has gotten HORRIBLE. I'm coughing hundreds of times a day. I can barely teach because I can't get more than a sentence out without coughing or losing my voice. Even worse, I'm starting to lose a lot of sleep. It used to be that my cough calmed down when I lay down and I was sleeping normally. But now it's taking longer and longer to calm down, and last night, I coughed almost all night - I only got three hours sleep.

Is there anything else I can do to help this cough? It's really affecting my life. I'm not overweight and I don't smoke (and rarely drink). I also exercise regularly (except for this week, due to the sinus infection). I rarely have heartburn. Should I be tested for asthma? Am I just supposed to wait this out for another few weeks and keep losing sleep until the meds are supposed to kick in?

Thanks for any help or advice...
Posted 10/3/2013 2:49 AM (GMT 0)
Hi icesk8er,

Welcome to Healing Well!  I can certainly identify with much of what you're saying.  I'm a retired 1st-2nd grade teacher (as of 2010) and I understand how a cough and voice issue can impact your work. 

It sounds to me as if you've got a combination problem.  I'm no doc, but I experienced a similar problem.  I have allergies and asthma, and my reflux, though not severe, was enough to create havoc on my lungs.

Coincidentally, I just saw my allergist, and he was telling me of a patient of his who didn't know she had reflux...it was completely "silent", but it was enough to affect her vocal chords and lungs. 

I think it would make a lot of sense to see an allergy/asthma doc.  If you're getting repeated sinus infection, it could be allergy related, or could be a combination of allergy and reflux.  Like you, I my health issues are more complex.  When you have allergies, asthma, and reflux/GERD/LPR it makes things much more difficult to sort out.

You could also elevate the head of your bed 7-8 inches by using blocks or bed raisers under the legs.  That way, if you're tending to get reflux while laying flat, gravity can start helping to keep the acid in your stomach where it belongs.  Often, nighttime/laying flat is when the most damage is done. It might help with the coughing as well, if it's caused by reflux.  It's worth a try! 

My cough was terrible, too, and coughing like that all the time is very hard on the vocal chords.  Are you raising mucous from your lungs?  If you have any asthma, it will be triggered by that sinus infection, so be sure to treat that aggressively.

If you can see a good allergy/asthma doc, he/she would hopefully be able to guide you through all this.  A good PCP would also work.  Both of them working together would be best.  If you've got reflux, then the Prilosec will be a good first start. An asthma doc would be able to monitor your meds as well.  It's hard to get into a specialist, so if you can get your PCP or ENT to pull some strings to get you in sooner, go for it.

Believe me, I understand.  I ended up getting a Nissen fundoplication surgery, because my lungs were in dangerous condition.  I was using a nebulizer several times a day and coughing nonstop.  This while teaching first and second graders!

Glad you've joined the forum!

Let us know what you decide to do and how it's working.  It is true that the PPI/Prilosec will take several weeks to be effective. You didn't get the vocal chord damage in a week or two, and it'll take longer than that to heal.

Best wishes,

Denise

Posted 10/3/2013 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your response. My shortness of breath is starting to worry me, so I've got an appointment on Tuesday to be tested for asthma.

I propped up my mattress last night with a couch cushion - it looked like a hospital bed, but it definitely lessened the coughing and I was able to sleep somewhat normally. Whew! I hope I don't have to do that every night, though. (I had to sleep on the sleeper sofa downstairs because my husband doesn't want to sleep on a propped-up bed, of course.)

Did anyone else have their cough go away with meds and/or diet change? I'm so sick of coughing...
Posted 10/4/2013 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
My GERD journey started with coughing too, but not as bad as yours. I saw the ent and they too put a tube up my nose and down my throat and diagnosed me with GERD. I didn't think it was possible for acid reflux to cause the coughing I experienced so I made them check me for asthma. I would cough so bad at night that I couldn't catch my breath. It scared me. I saw my primary doc when the asthma test came back normal and he sent me to an gastroenterologist. They did an upper gi scope and changed the meds the ent had put me on. It took several tries of medication but they found one that worked and the coughing stopped. For me, eventually the coughing came back and after several more tests and more med changes I had a nissen fundo surgery.

I too rarely had heartburn, it was the cough that was scary. I'd say see about seeing a gastroenterologist. That cough sounds awful and it's hard to wait 6-8 weeks to find out a med didn't work. Raising the head of the bed is a good idea. I never did because of my husband and I seemed uncomfortable with the idea. Try taking citrus, tomatoes, and mint out of your diet as well as chocolate. It's hard, at least for me it was, but if it's GERD it could help. Good luck.
Posted 10/4/2013 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
Was your surgery successful?

I'm hoping I don't end up needing surgery, even if it's a few years down the road. I'm extremely wary of surgeries after an umbilical hernia surgery (mesh implantation) fifteen months ago has left me in pain ever since.

What causes all these problems, anyway? Pregnancy? My coughing started when I was pregnant with my second son, and my hernia was a result of that pregnancy, too.
Posted 10/24/2013 7:22 PM (GMT 0)
I'm a New Member too. My journey began with wheezing and coughing spells and many sleepless nights of worry. I went to a pulmonary doctor who put me on inhalers. I couldn't tolerate the inhalers. Long story short, after many tests by ENT and GI docs, it was determined that I have GERD and LPR. I changed my diet drastically eliminating dairy, wheat, sugar, and all of the things that make GERD and LPR worse. I've lost 60 pounds in 2 years. My asthma symptoms have subsided for the most part but the GERD and LPR symptoms are horrible. I just took myself off of Prilosec because it made my GERD/LPR symptoms much worse and I had other side effects too. Just left a message with my doctor and will contact my ENT doctor too. Not sure what is next but like you, I'm hoping it isn't surgery. I'd love to fix this naturally without drugs, but not sure that is possible at this point. Just found this forum and will be watching closely for what has worked and not worked for others! Thank you for your post. Sounds like we are traveling similar roads.
Posted 10/24/2013 10:03 PM (GMT 0)
Corgislover,
Omeprazole was terrible for me, and I've decided to fight this naturally. Going to start a five-day "juice reboot" (rebootwithjoe.com) starting Saturday and see if that helps. I'm also going low-carb and gluten-free for a while and might start HCL tablets after the juice fast (if that doesn't help the way I want it to).

I just got the book "Why Stomach Acid is Good for You." I think it's worth a read.
Posted 10/25/2013 1:17 AM (GMT 0)
icesk8r,
The doctor's office called me back and they want me to try aciphex. If that doesn't work, my family doctor wants to refer me to a surgeon. I see my ENT on December 4. I am so conflicted about trying another PPI and I really don't want surgery. At this point, I'm scared and confused. I've tried so many things in the 2-1/2 years I've had this. It's been so discouraging because nothing has helped. I have thought about trying a fast too as well as HCL tablets. But after the 24-hour pH test, it seemed pretty certain that I have GERD and LPR. I've also had a barium swallow, endoscopy, two chest xrays and throat scan. The only thing those tests showed was that a pill got stuck (barium swallow) and I have reflux (endoscopy). The GI doc did a dilation but it didn't help. I don't have Barrett's and I don't have a hernia. I have horrible water brash. I went to a holistic doctor for a while but he wasn't able to help me either. He thought I might have candida. I completely changed my diet. I feel like other than surgery, my options are running out. I hope you are successful in fighting it naturally. That's the way I'd like to go too. I'll check out the book you purchased. I'm glad I found this forum. I don't feel as alone now.
Posted 11/22/2013 4:34 AM (GMT 0)
icesk8r,

"I've had a chronic, irritating cough for about two years now; it's gotten worse in the last six weeks "

~ have you tried taking garlic juice for your cough?
Posted 11/25/2013 3:38 AM (GMT 0)
corgislover , " I'd love to fix this naturally without drugs, but not sure that is possible at this point" ~ what natural method or way have you tried? ginger juice?
Posted 11/26/2013 5:02 PM (GMT 0)
I had the same exact problem with the coughing. It was the biggest problem I had from my GERD. I never had heart burn either. I recently had the nissen fundoplication surgery, it's done a great job of taking all that coughing away. I cough a little bit here and there, but I think that's because my wrap is still swelling. It will take some time to see if all of it goes away, but right now I'd say I'm 90-95% cured of all the coughing I used to have. At times I don't have to cough at all now.

Have you had a PH study done yet? That would tell you if you have acid lingering in your esophagus, which would mean you have GERD. Much of the time it is from a hiatus hernia.

You can see what symptoms I had if you look at my journal here..

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=45&m=2888732

Post Edited (Diaas2) : 11/26/2013 10:11:29 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/26/2013 11:42 PM (GMT 0)
My cough has nearly been eliminated with a gluten-free diet, which makes me wonder if I have Celiac? I'm waiting on a blood test and have a biopsy/endoscopy scheduled for the end of December (which will also check for a hiatal hernia).

But now I'm getting almost daily heartburn. :-( I found out that coconut oil gave me severe heartburn, but I'm still having mild to moderate heartburn after I cut out coconut products. Don't know what's wrong...
Posted 11/27/2013 1:43 AM (GMT 0)
icesk8r,

Severe coughing is one of the symptoms of heartburn and they say one of the causes is over eating and eating certain foods including tomatoes, garlic, onions, chocolate, alcohol, caffeinated products. foods high in fats and oils. Stress and lack of sleep can cause heartburn.I hope your blood test result is okay. Try garlic juice for your cough it might help at least to relieve you, if you will still cough.
Posted 11/27/2013 2:51 AM (GMT 0)
Well, I never had heartburn before, just coughing. Maybe you meant a symptom of GERD? I've limited (to once a week or less) or eliminated tomatoes, garlic, onions, chocolate, alcohol, pop, caffeine, and coconut products in the last six weeks. Oh, and of course, gluten. I did have some decaf coffee this morning without issues. While I'm waiting for my lab results, I'm trying to figure out if soy, nuts, or dairy bother me (even though I've tested negative for everything on allergy tests). But nothing seems to affect me consistently so far. My next step is probably probiotics and digestive enzymes.
Posted Yesterday 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
so decaf is okay with you.. yeah it should be GERD..goodluck on your next step!

you know what my aunt has been coughing for like the whole year, its becoming natural to her, she doesn't treat it, no meds, it just goes away.. we notice she coughs if she smells something she doesn't like, if there are dusts smoke around.. so we don't consider her coughing an illness..
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