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Cough

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marlene43811
marlene43811

I have COPD and bronchitis i'm breathless and have a cough

my question is once the cough starts i can't stop it just goes on and on i can draw a full breath in and it can continue for hours on end sometimes virtually all day....

i bring up small amounts of sticky mucous and think great thats it cleared but it just carries on

then other days i hardly cough at all

it tires me out and causes my breathlessness to be worse

so

has any one any tips to help me please

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • Reglois
    Reglois marlene43811

    Posted

    I am on a tiny dose of prednisolone 2 1/2 mgs (my choice to be on only a small dose) and that has eased my cough no end but yes I still have episodes of coughing, I use Bronchocod syrup as soon as I feel that it is going to go on and a second dose about 10 minutes after if it isn't stopping this usually works for me. I have Pulmonary Fibrosis, Emphysema, Brochiectasis and Systemic Schlerodema, think it is the Brochiectasis that causes the coughing and I bring up small amounts of sputum. The pulled muscles from too much coughing are such a pain, literally.

    All the best Sue

    • marlene43811
      marlene43811 Reglois

      Posted

      thanks for your input

      yes I've pulled a few tummy muscles too and boy do they hurt

  • aitarg35939
    aitarg35939 marlene43811

    Posted

    Hi Marlene

    You didn't mention what meds you are on. Inhaled steroids often take care of this & don't usually have the extreme side effects of steroid tablets. The best place for you to bring up this coughing issue is with your doc or lung specialist. Don't wait for an appointment that's set 6 months to 2 yrs in the future. Someone needs to be addressing this now. It can take time for inhalers to take effect.

    We cough for many different reasons. I too have COPD & bronchiectasis, plus a disease that dries out mucus membrane. I am always bronchitic so i produce tons of mucus but it's very thick. On the orders of my pulmonologist I use a mega dose of mucus thinners twice daily to help me get mucus up & out. Without that & w/o my 3 nebulized meds plus advair, i cough all day long and it exhausts me, in addition to harming my vocal cords.

    Pollens, dust, and pollutants, including all the gases given off by new homes (glues, fake wood, fake flooring, synthetic carpet , new synthetic fabrics on new furniture, etc.) will make me cough non-stop until i leave that environment, and can cause long-term damage in as little as 2.5 hrs. Ditto perfumes/aftershave/cologne and, now in the US, all the febreze, room plugins, and "the scent lasts a month" fabric softeners -- the chems that make scents last hours to months are harmful to our entire respiratory tract.

    That said, I erred when I assumed that my increased coughing was COPD progression. Instead, it was BX & i'd be much better off had i been diagnosed 2 or 3 yrs earlier.

    • Reglois
      Reglois aitarg35939

      Posted

      Inhaled steroid (Symbicort) nearly killed me, depends on your condition(s) it seems I was allergic to the carrier. Inhaled steroids are not recommended for certain conditions. I have absolutely no side effects on the small dose of steroid tablet I am on. Not even extra weight.

      You are so right about everything that can pollute the home. If only people knew how harmful fabric softeners are to the whole ecosystem, not just their perfume, they clog everything up no end, imagine what that does to your skin and respiratory system.

      Here to have carpet in the home is extremely rare, every where is tiled, much easier to just go over the floor with a damp swiffer, that way no dust is raised

      I was treated for asthma for 5 years, kept telling the docs I knew I didn't have asthma, no one took any notice. would I be terminal now if they had, will never ever know.

    • aitarg35939
      aitarg35939 Reglois

      Posted

      I have so many drug allergies, really impacts how my pulmo can treat me. I cannot take spiriva, so we don't try any of its kin. Pulmo sent me to an allergist who blames my extreme reactions on my redhead genes. Who knows, lol?

    • marlene43811
      marlene43811 aitarg35939

      Posted

      i have numerous allergies too

      and take a nasal spray for those and fexofenadine

      i have ventolin,sertatide and braltus inhalers and take azithromycin 3 times a week

      at the momemt nothing seems to be working

      today i am extreemly breathless and feel i cant take a deep breath

      thanks so much for your reply

  • larry49033
    larry49033 marlene43811

    Posted

    Hello Marlene,

    I assume that you are in Great Britain . I live in the USA and I also have COPD. In addition to my prescriptions I have found that taking the over the counter medicine Guaifenesin or the more well known brand name Mucinex is a vital part of my daily treatment. I buy the less expensive Guaifenesin tablets in bulk and rely upon it's action to help prevent excess mucus and to aid in coughing mucus up /out. Your local Chemist (Pharmacist) should carry it in their non prescription cold medicines. This could relieve you of your mucus crisis.

    My Dr. prescribed medications: Anoro and Ipratropium Bromide Inhalation Solution (used in my Nebulizer) and Ventolin ( a "rescue' inhaler) all require careful and responsible use. I strongly advise that you go visit your Pulmonary Specialist (Dr. ) as soon as you can and tell them EVERYTHING. If you think that you might forget to ask or tell the Dr. everything, write down all of your symptoms, questions, and needs so you will not forget.

    All the Best

    • marlene43811
      marlene43811 larry49033

      Posted

      thanks so much for your reply

      i will look at the chemist for guaifenesin

      i am in the uk as you guessed

      i went to see my gp yesterday and have no infection as my lungs are clear yet today i'm so breathless i feel i cant take a deep breath

      its so upsetting

    • larry49033
      larry49033 marlene43811

      Posted

      My deleted post was a complaint about this site. In America we may not like it when people express a view that we disagree with, but we will defend the right of the poster to their differing view. Censorship to Americans is frowned upon and smacks of medieval thinking.

      Be careful with taking any medicines that you have not talked with your Dr. about. Some do not mix well with other medicines and extreme care needs to be exercised. I've only had one problem with a medication. It contained Sulfur which I'm allergic to and I broke out in hives (a type of rash) and had to get that medication changed.

      Bad side effects to a medication or a combination of medicines is very serious and it is one reason that your Dr. needs to know about ALL prescription and non-prescription medicines that are being taken. Even if you are brewing up some old family cure with roots and plant leaves, tell your Dr. about it.

      Finally, COPD can cause some to not be as able to travel to the grocer for fresh fruits, vegetables, and even meats. Canned and Dry foods work great and are easier to store at home, but fresh foods supply minerals and vitamins that are good for us. In addition, fresh foods can supply needed fiber and such that help with the full digestive system/process. My point is that a healthy diet can help as an important part of caring for ourselves and living with COPD.

    • Reglois
      Reglois marlene43811

      Posted

      No inhalers worked for me either in fact one nearly killed me. Buy yourself a little oximeter, the sort the hospitals use to check your blood oxygen, they are not very expensive, I got myself one, was horrified to see how low my blood oxygen was, 76, on walking up stairs !! did a 2 day check and took this list to the doctor, was immediately hospitalised, this may not be your case at all but it would be good to rule it out, should set your mind at rest or provoke some action on your doctors part. Weather plays a huge part in how I can or cannot breathe even on oxygen at 5lts, damp is no good, hot is not good, cold is no good unless I breathe through a scarf and as for pollen and pollution, forget it, I never go into cities because of pollution making me cough my heart out. Loving it at the moment here in the mountains, cool, no wind just fine, would hate to be back in the UK with the damp and pollution and quite honestly a crap medical system.

    • Reglois
      Reglois

      Posted

      No, I'll rephrase crap medical system to VERY slow medical system

    • marlene43811
      marlene43811 Reglois

      Posted

      i agree re the UK not a lot i can do though i'm stuck with the pollution and extremely slow NHS

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