At a loss what to do next.....feel so fed up

Hi deb , i have had my cough for about the same time as you have had yours , i have had all the checks you have and lung and heart scan it drives me mad swollowing coconut oil helps, a lot of ladies on here say its quite normal with peri ,  bless you hope you get it sorted good luck x 

Hello Deb, so sorry about your upsetting trouble. Persistent coughing is commonly the result of GERD - gastroesophageal reflux disease - and your silent reflux could well be the cause here, though only medical tests would make certain. The dietary and lifestyle measures below, to hopefully ease the reflux and coughing, are worthwhile trying, but unfortunately time and patience are needed. Use the pepsid as directied by your doctor or the instructions. I wish you well.

Several small/medium meals per day (I have seven medium, one every two hours or so), rather than fewer bigger meals, so you don't overfill your stomach. Eat relaxed, chew well. Be sat upright for and after meals, so you don't squash your stomach and press its contents upwards.

Fried foods, greasy, oily, high-fat foods/meats, butter, cheese, full-fat dairy, high-salt foods, spicy-hot foods, tomatoes, tomato sauce, onions, peppers, carbonated drinks, caffeine, alcohol and chocolate can all impact on stomach and reflux troubles for some people, so personal experimentation is key. Minty foods relax the lower oesophageal muscle, as do some of the above foods and drinks, which can let acid/pepsin up easier and cause heartburn, etc, so they are bad. I use a fruity toothpaste and strawberry gaviscon tablets for the occasional reflux acid burn.

Wholewheat bread, cereals, bananas, hardboiled eggs are a few of the foods that suit me, but there are pulses, rice, various beans (not kidney beans apparently) and many other things to try. Chicken is one of the best meats due to its lower fat content. Trial and error.

Stress, excercise and bending activity that pressure and squeeze the stomach are also to be avoided. Be as calm and stress-free as you can.

Having your last meal a few hours before bed can prevent or lessen reflux at night, but I found that waiting to be too empty caused hunger discomfort, assorted spasms and kept me awake or caused some burning through the spasms. I lie down about an hour and a half to two hours after last meal raised a bit on three pillows, on my right side, though the left side is usually recommended and there were test results to support this as being best for many people. Other people raise the bed-head itself about 6 to 8 inches with blocks or bricks, or use a wedge-pillow affair..

Another thing that helps me is to not burp after ten minutes after eating, as burping can bring acid up and cause heartburn. I get the swallowed air out gently just after the meal, sittiing a little forward, then don't burp till after the next meal.

Water triggering heartburn is common, even with some non-ill people. I get my daily water requirement by drinking around 140 ml or bit more with each meal, which, in my case, is added to by some drinks of a nutrition drink or very low fat milkshake. So generally I don't have to drink between meals. Everyone has to find their routine to get sufficient fluid.

In tests there was an indication that some people with reflux suffer heartburn through drinking water in several gulps because their lower oesophageal muscle doesn't open and close correctly when doing this with fluid, and so acid/pepsin can escape upwards. But just adding water to your stomach between meals, when there is still food and fluids in there, will increase its volume and raise it nearer to the top where the muscle is, the pressure of which, if too much water is drunk, can then cause the muscle to open and let stomach fluid up. Cold water can also cause spasms, so sips of usual water is best.

Some say to drink water only between meals at points when the stomach is empty, but this cannot be done in my case where I need to eat every couple of hours or will lose more weight by slowing digestion down. So it's a matter for the individual.

Oat milk, rice milk, almond milk or soya milk are good milk substitutes for people who don't/can't have dairy, unless a person has issues with them. But we are all different, so, again, trial and error is the way.

I have been having some very low-fat milk-shake drinks lately, and they have not impacted badly on me compared to how, for example, butter on bread always did.

I am also having some peanut butter - very bad normally for these illnesses - with two of my sandwich meals each day, and this might go badly in time, but for now quite ok, and is good for helping me get some more fat into my diet and extra body-weight on.