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Cold sensation when breathing in!

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kay19801
kay19801

Hi all

PLEASE PLEASE I need some advice if anyone has experienced these symptoms.....

For the last 6 months or so I have been coughing more so at night during my sleep and it wakes me up. Initially when I went to the Dr she thought I had acid reflux (which I have suffered from in the past), she put me on lansaprasole for 12 weeks and the cough has not stopped. I then saw another Dr whom said they need to do a chest xray so I had this done 10 days ago, the result is clear. The Dr gave me an reliever inhaler.

My symptoms are ~

Coughing that wakes me at night, dry and unproductive

Clearing throat all day

Tight feeling around the thyroid area

Blocked sound by throat when I breathe in (not a chest wheeze)

Scratch in my throat when I breathe in which provokes the cough

Cold air sensation when I inhale, this is constant

The Dr has referred me for a Spirometry and Reversability lung function test which is in 3 weeks. My son has extreme asthma and my grandmother had asthma which she developed in her 40's.

I used to be a smoker for 17 years, recently stopped 8 weeks ago. 

The throat condition has been going on since last year, I had a clear xray Jan 2016 including a clear scope down the nose into my voicebox and lyranx together with an endoscopy to check for acid reflux - all clear! Series of 5 lots of FBC's & CA125 tests and thyroid blood tests - normal!

I am petrified I have an undetected lung cancer now, but the Dr thinks I have nocturnal & seasonal asthma. I use the inhaler when I feel blocked but it only last for a few hours where I feel some relief! At times it feels like I am breathing through a straw or piece of cloth!

ANY advice is very welcomed, this is driving me mad...........

Thank you 

0 likes, 168 replies

168 Replies

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  • dove77
    dove77 kay19801

    Posted

    HI Kay and all others smile  I suffer from the same problem.  I have had a dry hacking cough since last June.  Several months ago I started to notice the extremely cold air sensation when I breathe.  It doesn't seem to matter what the room air temp is. I have a disease called Raynauds Syndrome that is caused by vasoconstriction.  I also have Sjogrens Syndrome which is an autoimmune disfunction of the salivary glands and more. Extreme dryness is a hallmark of this.  Inflammation is another.  Anyways, I HATE this awful feeling of breathing cold air.  I hope we all can find relief from this.

    • kay19801
      kay19801 dove77

      Posted

      Hi there

      Thanks for your message - I am still suffering, same cough, same sensation, same feeling, I have seen a consultant at the Respiratory clinic and he thinks I have a sensitive upper airway dysfunction and it is made worse with cat allergens (I have 2) - when I link the two together i.e. when this all started it was more or less the same time I was with cats, my first reaction with a cat nearly led me to Emergency.....BUT I have these symptoms with or without them.....so scary......This breathing in cold are, does yours feel like you have just brushed your teeth or just sucked a mint? Mine gets so annoying I just shallow breathe!

      Let me know

  • dove77
    dove77 kay19801

    Posted

    Hi Kay,  Yes I do.  It feels like the air is supercooled similar to being affected by eating something minty.  It feels cold in both my nose and my mouth.  When this first started my nose would get so cold.  I noticed my gums above my upper teeth were really cold too.  My partner and I have moved south for the winter in part because of this.  

    The Raynauds constricts your blood vessels and capillaries to the point of cutting off the blood flow.  People notice their fingers turning white, blue and finally red when the blood returns.  My fingers, toes, nose, ears and even the outer portions of my butt are affected!  The air I breathe is so cold and uncomfortable I find myself having to breathe thru a blanket or my hands.  Shallow breathing happens to me too.  

    • kay19801
      kay19801 dove77

      Posted

      Hi Dove

      You are describing exactly what I am feeling, my throat feels like I have swallowed a bottle of mouth wash and I have that ice feeling all the way down my throat, I also feel like I am breathing through a straw at times, do you tend to have this sensation all the time? I think I have this all the time but some days are worse than others, a choking feeling like an elastic band occurs also then when i breathe in the throat scratches and in turn I cough..... are you still coughing?

      My cough wakes me up during sleep, this is not acid reflux its something weird, my throat always feels tight also 

  • dove77
    dove77 kay19801

    Posted

    The only time I don't cough is when I am asleep.  My cough is more like a terrible inflammation just past my larynx though it is also affected at times.  I lose my voice.  This is mostly because of Sjogrens and many of us "shoggies" have the same hoarseness!  I have been coughing since June and tried everything.  All my tests --xray, CT, bloodwork were normal.  But my Pulmonary Function test revealed some issues that point to autoimmune problem.

    I would say talk to your doctor about Raynauds Syndrome and Sjogrens.  They are way more common than people think.

    • kay19801
      kay19801 dove77

      Posted

      Hi again

      I do not lose my voice, I seem to go slightly sweaky voice mouse like at time haha - I have had 2 chest xrays wihtin 1 year, bloods, scope down my throat and to my voicebox and nothing showed, I have been coughing since February last year, it went and now its back again.. My lung function tests showed normal but my consultant wrote to my dr to say it is normal with people who are asthmatic so not sure what that means if I am asthmatic or not lol....

      I will see my dr again, the other think is I have chest pain when I strain my chest only on my right for the past fortnight now, does not hurt when I breathe in deeply just when I strain my chest or lift myself up from a sofa or chair, obviously my mind is running wild....

  • dove77
    dove77 kay19801

    Posted

    Sjogrens is pronounced SHOW grins!!  
    • kay19801
      kay19801 dove77

      Posted

      Hi Dove

      I thought I responded to you...how are you 

  • phil35979
    phil35979 kay19801

    Posted

    I have a hiatus hernia which leads to GERD. Reflux from the stomach. Doesn't cause heartburn. Just the cold sensation.

    I have copd (asthma bronchitis and emphysema) and need to use liquid oxygen which is very cold. When I am inflamed by bronchitis the cold sensation is worse presumably because the tissues are hotter. The cold sensation first started along with the hernia so I believe it is the reflux responsible. It may be that the sphincter is not properly closed and gas I leaking up the oesophagus. Long term 24hr inhalers are available for copd. If you are taking Ventolin and it only lasts 4 hours take it again.

    • kay19801
      kay19801 phil35979

      Posted

      Hello Phil

      Thank you - I had an endoscopy last year and the Gastro dr said it all looked normal no sign of reflux however I have felt the acid come up to my voicebox quite a few times but this coughing is driving me crazy, have not been woken up in the night for a while and i have now for the last 2 nights, so frustrating for me...

    • traceydavies
      traceydavies kay19801

      Posted

      Hi Kay.

      I'm a newbie here, and you're the only person I feel has the same symptoms as I do, tightness in throat, like pressure high up, like a lump but massive like a blown up balloon inside, difficult to swallow, dangley thing like it's the uvula but it's not, extremely dry throat feels like it's sticking together (razer blades). Nothing keeps it wet, sharp feeling to breath in as it hits the dry throat. I too thought the worst, made myself sick with worry. I've just had a camera down the nose, nothing was found, he diagnosed globus sensation, anxiety, stress. I want to rip my throat out, the feeling drives me insane. Have things got any better with you? I can't live like this, it's pure torture.

    • kay19801
      kay19801 traceydavies

      Posted

      Hey there

      Well I have had chest xrays, bloods etc and nothing has been found (thank goodness) - I have also had a dry barking cough for about 11 months now and just been discharged from Respiratory, Consultant says it is a Hyper sensitive airway combined with cat allergy or the cats are making all these symptoms.

      I still have the cold air sensation and feeling like you are breathing through a straw or cloth - Dr says I have Globus too and all your symptoms I have had, its the worst feeling thinking there is something there and then there is not (which is good), but its stress and anxiety - Globus is nasty, I had an episode of it for 7 months, the dangly thing in the back of the throat is like you want to rip your throat out and the dryness is hideous, no amount of water will lubricate it......

  • Shelli07
    Shelli07 kay19801

    Posted

    Hello,

    A lot of your symptoms sound like mine so I'll share what helped me. The constant coughing and always clearing the throat try Mucinex 1200 twice a day. DO NOT BUY Mucinex 1200 DM. That's the wrong one. Also, drink 2 tablespoons of Bragg Apple cider vinegar (must mix with water), one to two times a day. Don't skip days. Now I noticed that if I puff my inhaler as soon as a start the breathing cold feeling it slows it down for a while. It does come back though. My symptoms started when I got the flu shot.

    I hope this helps.

    Also I drink hot tea all day and take Emergen-C 16,xxxmg everyday

    • dove77
      dove77 Shelli07

      Posted

      Thanks Shelli!!  I have figured out it will not kill me (quickly anyways) so I will just deal with it.  I have been in SoCal for the winter and it has helped with the Raynauds a lot.  Raynauds is a vascular issue and I am thinking this is related to my blood vessels and capillaries spasming.  This is a reaction to the cold.  We are headed back to northern Washington in 10 days or so and it will be easy to tell if this is related to temperature.  The cough though has not gone away.
    • kay19801
      kay19801 Shelli07

      Posted

      Hi there

      Thanks for messaging I am so relieved that I am not the only one suffering with this, its been nearly 2 years and have had chest xrays and inhalers etc but still have the symptoms, sometimes it feels like the cold air is in my lungs like yesterday its so weird....I do suck on menthol sweets and chew gum which surprisingly helps a little!

      One day it might leave us! My consultant has put it down to hyper sensitivity to pet dander (I have two cats), but not sure as I cough where ever I go, the cough is from my throat, the tickles get so bad my eyes water, how is your cough?

    • Shelli07
      Shelli07 kay19801

      Posted

      My cough was constant and hard (jerking). At first i couldnt cough anything up but i started forcing myself to and small mucus was coming up. Very, very, small. I had to cough and clear my throat snd force mucus up. I was wheezing a lot. When i breath it felt like flapping in my lungs. That mucinex helped sooo me much. It took thr cough away. No cough syrup worked, not even the heavy duty from the hospital that made you feel good. Lol. Now im just trying to get tjis uncontrolled asthma under control. Hot tea helps with grated ginger and lemon, but not cough drops for me.
    • kay19801
      kay19801 Shelli07

      Posted

      That is good - if I could get rid of the cough it would be wonderful!

      Do you take the tablets called Mucinex?

    • Shelli07
      Shelli07 dove77

      Posted

      See I live in Ga but from California. There is no ocean breeze to come and sweep all the junk out of the air and carry it away. Didn't have these problems in California

    • Shelli07
      Shelli07 kay19801

      Posted

      Yes, my Dr told me take 1200mg twice a day. Not 1200mg MD but just plain 1200mg. It helped so much. My cough goes away but in about 2 weeks it slowly starts again. So I take another box. Since Jan I'm working on my 3rd box. My biggest problem is asthma attacks and breathing in cold feeling. My doctor says the breathing cold feeling is an asthma attack.

      I started testing with my inhaler and when I puff my qvar it goes away but only for about an hour. I tested it with my albuterol but it only helps for minutes (maybe 30).

    • dove77
      dove77 Shelli07

      Posted

      Shelli,  You mentioned a 'flapping' feeling.  I get this kind of sensation at the very end of a coughing fit.  It feels sort of good and bad (creepy) at the same time.  Hard to describe.  I have Sjogrens (an autoimmune disorder) and they say lung problems are very common with this disease.  Interstitial lung disorder and idiopathic (means they don't know what is causing it).  Since I do not cough anything up, I think people may not believe the intense necessity of coughing I have.  I use benedryl at night to help me stay asleep and it dries out mucus membranes.  Sjogrens makes one very dry so adding drugs to dry me out doesn't help my condition.  Sort of damned if I do......

    • Shelli07
      Shelli07 dove77

      Posted

      Try the mucinex. It helped my cough. My cough was dry too. Liquids and mucinex helped me loosen and cough it up. I didnt think it was anything there to cough up until I tried it. I made sure not to take anything that would make cough go away because that thats what my Dr said. I was stopping anyway because they werent working.
    • kay19801
      kay19801 Shelli07

      Posted

      I think in the UK we have something equivalent to what you are taking called Robitussin - I might get some of it and see what it does, the cough is worst at night when I am sleeping, it wakes me up, its not acid reflux as I have had meds for that and nothing helped....post nasal, no - allergies (maybe) - do you sometimes have a feeling of you breathing through cotton wool or a cloth or straw?
    • kay19801
      kay19801 dove77

      Posted

      My throat is always tickling to the extent that it makes my eyes water...... sad
    • Shelli07
      Shelli07 kay19801

      Posted

      No we have robitussin. Mucinex is different. Yes, I know that feeling of breathing through a straw too well. I tried 3 different meds from gastro dr. But none worked. After I bought Apple cider vinegar (with the mother) in it. It was like night and day. Make sure it says with mother, or it wont work. You night be able to order mucinex online. I had to find out it was something in my lungs and not throat that was stuck there. The brand mucinex I buy is 1200mg NOT 1200mg MD. And the brand ACV I buy is Bragg with the mother.

      Trust me its going to make a difference. It might take a week to start feeling anything but you'll be happy you did. I get Bragg from Wal-Mart but I hear its in whole food too. As long as its a vinegar with mother, it has to have mother, you'll see a difference

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