24th June 2007
Hi kimberlyrkb,
It sounds like your doctor is on the right track for finding something that will work for your cough. I frequently get a chronic cough and last year suffered from a long spell (about 5 months) with a lot of doctors visits before I found out something that worked for me. In the meantime, I was coughing so much that I couldn't catch a breath and my stomach and ribs hurt. I spoke to my doctor about this and I was told that it isn't uncommon to pull muscles and even break a rib with intense coughing. If you are worried about that I would visit your doctor to have it checked.
According to my doctor, there are four main causes of a chronic cough: allergies, acid reflux, PND and asthma. It sounds like your doctor is on course on determining which one/ones you have and finding a course of treatment that will work.
Turns out I have develped all of these and have the symptom of a chronic cough with all of them. It took working closely with my doctor over a period of time to find the correct medication combinations that worked for me. I was on Prilosec, Protonix and Nexium before ending up on Prevacid 2x/day. It actually took weeks before I noticed the difference of the Prevacid. I was also eating a diet avoiding foods and drinks that aggrevated the acid.
I have also found that, for me, when one if one of the 4 listed above flairs up, is can sometimes cause other areas to get worse. I have to find a way to keep them all under control at the same time. Currently my routine consists of: Prevacid 2x/day, Advair 500/50, Singulair (for allergies and asthma), Astelin, Flonase, Allegra. As needed: Albuterol, Sudafed, Mucinex. I also completed allergy immunotherapy about 5 years ago and I am going back tomorrow for more testing to begin a second round of shots.
Also, if your cough continues you may want to be tested for Pertussis (Whooping Cough). The immunizations we had when we were young wear off and are no longer effective as adults. For adults, the symptom is an intense chronic cough. While I was trying to get my reflux and sinus infections under control, I found out I had also contracted Pertussis. It is nicknamed the "100 day cough"
It sounds like your doctor is on the right track for finding something that will work for your cough. I frequently get a chronic cough and last year suffered from a long spell (about 5 months) with a lot of doctors visits before I found out something that worked for me. In the meantime, I was coughing so much that I couldn't catch a breath and my stomach and ribs hurt. I spoke to my doctor about this and I was told that it isn't uncommon to pull muscles and even break a rib with intense coughing. If you are worried about that I would visit your doctor to have it checked.
According to my doctor, there are four main causes of a chronic cough: allergies, acid reflux, PND and asthma. It sounds like your doctor is on course on determining which one/ones you have and finding a course of treatment that will work.
Turns out I have develped all of these and have the symptom of a chronic cough with all of them. It took working closely with my doctor over a period of time to find the correct medication combinations that worked for me. I was on Prilosec, Protonix and Nexium before ending up on Prevacid 2x/day. It actually took weeks before I noticed the difference of the Prevacid. I was also eating a diet avoiding foods and drinks that aggrevated the acid.
I have also found that, for me, when one if one of the 4 listed above flairs up, is can sometimes cause other areas to get worse. I have to find a way to keep them all under control at the same time. Currently my routine consists of: Prevacid 2x/day, Advair 500/50, Singulair (for allergies and asthma), Astelin, Flonase, Allegra. As needed: Albuterol, Sudafed, Mucinex. I also completed allergy immunotherapy about 5 years ago and I am going back tomorrow for more testing to begin a second round of shots.
Also, if your cough continues you may want to be tested for Pertussis (Whooping Cough). The immunizations we had when we were young wear off and are no longer effective as adults. For adults, the symptom is an intense chronic cough. While I was trying to get my reflux and sinus infections under control, I found out I had also contracted Pertussis. It is nicknamed the "100 day cough"