Coughing and no clinical diagnosis???

K

kj :)

New member
OK I'm really pissed right now I just got back from the ER and I still have no clear diagnosis :mad:. I have been having coughing fits on and off every day for the last four weeks now I went into the ER on the 18'th and I was told seasonal allergies here's a script and go home. So I tried that for that weekend and there was no change accept for 30$ out of my pocket for meds. I saw a doctor later that week and was told "23 years old moderately severe coughing and a little post nasal drip???? I really don't know whats wrong with you." so I was given a nice strong antibiotic and cough syrup and told come see me if it doesn't get better. So it hasn't gotten better yet, I went to the ER today and had blood drawn then got a bag of saline with a bit of anti nausea and pain medication added as well as Robitussin AC and a respiratory treatment along with a chest Xray and there is not a single thing wrong with me clinically :confused: . I am very frustrated and worried because when I have my coughing fits I am sometimes coughing up vomit and unable to catch my breath. The thing that really got my goat tonight was the woman who was treating me kept insisting I smelled like chemicals or gasoline both of which I have not been around, the only thing I have been around today and semi frequently is a oxy propane torch and a old smokey diesel truck. That idiot also put on my discharge paper work "Please get into some clean clothes and take a good bath and stay away from these chemicals for a few days to see if this will make the situation better", my main question is what chemicals old motor oil and grease?? I cut scrap steel semi frequently (two or three times a week on occasion) but I have not been affected by this before and my fits seem to have started only after I had been helping a friend tear out a old moldy sink and replace the rotting floor under it. Would anyone anyone at all have any thoughts as to what might be going on here?:confused:
 
Okay, I have 3 suggestions.

One is, try taking the allergy medication every day for a few weeks. If you have allergies that have been going on for a while, it can take several days or longer for antihistamines to start working. It could be you're just this year developing allergies.

Second, get proper ventilation and wear a dust mask when working with anything dirty, dusty, stinky, etc. My husband cuts things with industrial routers for a living, and he started having some bad lung problems after a couple years on the job. They got better when he started using a respirator (like a gas mask) when cutting, and much better when he switched to a job where he spends much less time at the router and more at a computer.

Third, don't go to the ER, unless you have a genuine scary "I can't breathe" kind of attack. They're good if you are smashed up or dying, but not for figuring out something tricky and less urgent like this. Go back to the doctor you saw before, and ask for referral to a specialist, such as a pulmonologist (lung doctor), ENT, or allergist, if he can't give you answers.

Coughing until you vomit... Could maybe even be whooping cough.
 
Hi Blackdog! I feel for you. I have the same cough that you do. It is out of control. Mine just started a couple of days ago but I get it once a year and it is about this time and last for a month or two. Mine is from allegies. IT's the worst time of the year and it gets worse before it gets better. I live in Iowa and I am allergic to everything green outside and the corn outside just horrific. Once they start cutting the crops down it gets REALLY bad. My post nasal drip is out of control!! I cough and cough till I think I will puke or my brains will come out. I have lost my voice today. I hate mornings and night time because the cough is worse. I am on allegra....now I just took some cough syrup and I hope and pray it will work. I just can't take it. I suck on bags and bags of cough drops.

Have you been tested for allergies?? My guess is that you are allergic to things and you have post nasal drip. It takes awhile on the meds to feel like you have it under control. Hang in there! You are not suffering alone. I just hope and pray we both find relief soon!:angel:
 
Nope no testing for alergies yet at least not until I can afford it, this is the first time in my life I have had ANYTHING like this. I will just continue to cook my syringe in the microwave before bedtime and take my cough syrup once it has cooled even though the stuff barely works. I have found that using a nice clean syringe is the best way for me to accurately measure out my syrup and get it into the back of my throat where it doesn't taste quite as bad. The funny thing is most of the day I can work with only a few good crippling coughing fits and a few minor ones even when I am working close to a diesel exaust pipe lol
 
The only allergy medication I was given was affrin OTC which is only supposed to be used for three days, and the ER here has a fast track just for things like this also I had just thrown up before I went into the ER. I have not had a doctor or needed a doctor untill this time and I usually do not see a doctor unless there is a problem due to lack of funding and no state and federal will not help untill I get my disability claim finished and my medicade. Oh and I did I mention nothing at all is showing up on any of the test's that have been done?
 
Hello, Blackdog . . . you said something that kind of stood out for me. This happened after you had been cleaning up a rotting and moldy area.

It is possible that you inhaled some of the mold and may need to be treated with anti-fungals.

You might want to mention this when you get a chance to whoever you are able to see right now. Mold is not something they generally look for in the emergency room unless you tell them about it. It may be as simple as a sputum (phlegm) sample to detect it.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes.

Lindaru :)
 
Well the regular doctor that I have been seeing said today "I still don't know what you have and you might have a permanant cough" I will be starting a new script for an alergy medication to see if that does anything at all. I was also given a inhaler to see if that might help, I was told to get the inhaler when I thought I needed it so I will be trying that in about two weeks after I finish off this antibiotic and I start on the alergy medication. As far as a sputum test thats out of the question at this point since I am up to my $100 office visit for the month I will try it next month if I am still alive lol.
 
Greetings,

I suffered a very gagging and nagging cough for a few years (2000-2004) on and off, every four months or so, for four months at a time. I personally had to discover what it really was. After years of research and several doctors later, I recall, one doctor saying it was acid reflux. I thought to myself that's impossible. I had no clinical symptoms of acid reflux.

Very long story short: Allergies and Acid Reflux play a very key role to one another, whether or not its believable, the fact is still that. The very slight acids that may come up to about your lower esophagus, are enough to trigger an allergic reaction in your throat, maybe even your nose. Acids trigger allergies, and vice versa. Allergies from chemicals or seasonal, including a common cold can re-trigger your acids to come up and further increase allergic reaction in the throat. Hence, a gagging cough, to the point of vomiting.

Don't hold me to this, but what works wonders for me is the following:

Claritin D 24 Hour [For Allergies] no more than 5 days
Apple Cider Vinegar (pills or liquid is fine) [For Acid Control] 1-2 weeks
A healthier diet [At least for about 2 weeks, until symptoms are gone]

Keep in mind that fatty foods such as most pork or spicy foods trigger acids, so best advised to stay clear of them foods.

Again, I am no doctor by any means, but this worked for me, and now I only get this cough when I get sick with a common cold, which is normal. Cough lasts about 4 days tops now.

Good luck

RZ
 
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