I'm back from my 3rd trip to the doctors, and here's the scoop... I had blood drawn, for those of you insistent (you know who you are)... He had me do a TB test, just in case. I don't know anything about TB, symptoms or anything, but he said that would be bad for me to have, but gave me the test while I was there to rule it out. He doesn't think that's what I have... He did a chest xray and looked at it, said everything there looked fine... They are scheduling an appt with the pulmonologist, the same one I saw 2 years ago when I was having breathing problems. At that time they never found anything, but in his notes they said it could have been very early stages of asthma (I think that was their way of saying they didn't know, because by the time I got to that appt, my breathing troubles were about gone, so they found nothing wrong). Anyway, I'll go there, and do probably the same tests again to see if anything has changed in these 2 years, and there's one other more extensive test they didn't do then that they will probably do now... And I will now be sampling singulair for a month, and some crazy-named allergy meds that start with a z (not zyrtec, think it's prescrip, but he gave me a sample). He said it could be from the cat, not to rule that out, and I might do an allergy testing, but we didn't talk much about that today. I think he wants to get the pulmonologist done first. So that's that. Thanks everyone for any and all help you've given!
Thanks for the update.....sounds like you are on your way to figuring this thing out.....or at least ruling things out! :hurray:
Good Luck! I can't stand a cough that won't go away. I had the problem when I was pregnant with my daughter. Couldn't take much in the way of meds and the cough seemed to last forever.
I've actually never used Vicks, and the garlic thing in the feet sounds wierd!! Good to know though...Luckily, nighttime is the ONLY time I'm not coughing, so I do get somewhat of a break!
Hugh - Has your cough not gone away either? I hope I can get into the pulmonologist soon! I think I'm thinking it's going to be found I have asthma, don't really know what else it could be? And now that I have the cat, I think it may have just triggered it, however all that works...I'm not coughing as much today as I have been since Sunday, but it's still there for sure. Can't wait to get rid of it!
Nah, although mine wasn't as persistent as yours it did wake me up a couple times last night. Also unlike you, I did have a few side effects from the Z-pack; unfortunately Michelle could relate to them.
Oh no!! :jester: Well, I hope you start feeling better soon! Good news is that I haven't had to spend a lot on the meds, the antibiodics were cheap and everything else he's given me was free samples. But the co-pays are going to kill me, if the cough doesn't first!
Did you get rid of the cat and clean up the house from the dander and wash everything just so you can rule or not rule the cat allergy out?
No, haven't gotten rid of the cat! My son would rather get rid of me than the cat!!! I have been cleaning like a mad woman, but I know if it is the cat, that won't really matter, since she's still here. I have a big house, so it's never all clean at the same time, unfortunately! But I can assure you the filters are all changed, and all the dust is gone (or all that can be, including those never get-to places). I'm really starting to think it is the cat though...Here I was, last summer, trying to think of a pet we could get that wouldn't bother my hubby or son, who both have allergies, and now I'm the one having the problems! And they're going on in their lives like nothing has changed. :banghead:
Did you ever think though, that it is not the cat, as you said that you don't cough at all when you are laying down but you cough when you are standing up? The doctor should take xrays both ways and compare them as it seems something changes that causes the cough. I would contact the show Mystery Diagnosis.
He did chest xrays and found nothing, what other type of xrays do you recommend? I do cough laying down, just not at night when sleeping, for some strange reason...
Mystery Diagnosis here! When you are sleeping you do not swallow saliva, and so when you are awake standing up or awake laying down you swallow saliva and so it sounds like you have a saliva problem! You know when you have a cold and the nose back drips into your throat and you cough that annoying cough,,, yea, sounds like a saliva problem! I hope you do get better. Just running thoughts around so maybe something might klick for you.
Robbie, you are a genius!! :mrgreen: Anyway, I am feeling a lot better today, I think the meds the doctor gave me are working! And I think it's also making me "high". Yesterday I was sleepy all day, could have done absolutely nothing but lay around, this morning I felt like I was on speed, and was shaky and felt funny, like giggly funny. Now I feel normal. I think it might be because I take it at night with my topamax, and they both are nighttime, make you sleepy meds, so I'm getting a double-whammy at the same time? Anyway, I am not coughing 1/2 as much today, so that's great!
Glad to hear you are half better, hope you get full better soon. There is nothing like a persistent cough that gives you a nagging headache.
I'm back! Went to the pulmonologist today, and this is what she said... She DOES NOT think it's asthma. She said if it was, the prednisone should have made a big difference, and it made absolutely no difference at all. I did a breathing test, and did great on it, according to them. I was actually at the same dr exactly 2 years ago, and did 4% better today than last time, so that was good. They did an allergy test via bloodwork, and will get the results next week. She said best case scenario is that's what it is, could be the cat (that's still what I'm thinking, because that's all that makes sense) so we'll see by that. They also will check my IGE (?) levels, if I'm having an allergic reaction to anything, that will tell. If my tests come back and there are no obvious allergy problems, then the next step is to see an ENT to see if there are any physical problems with me, do more x-rays, cat scan of lungs, check my throat, vocal cords for pollups, things like that. She did say it looks like I'm having allergic problems, my nose (inside) was inflamed, I had a very prominent blood vessel in my throat, whatever that means, and there is drainage in my throat she saw right away, even though I don't feel any! (my nurse friend had told me that was possible, so guess she was right!) So she gave me some nasal spray and some sort of medicine (something pearls?) to stop my coughing, hopefully that will work, and I go back in 4 weeks. Wish me luck!
Hope you are on the mend! That pearl type cough medicine works pretty well. I used that during they day, and the heavy duty stuff at night last year with the bronchitis. Good luck!
