Cough for 3 months. Been to the doc twice, just wondering if it is allergy/infection/what.

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Age 37, white male, 6 feet tall,  160lbs, UK, no previous health issues, not on any medication.

Around the end of August and start of September I began to notice at certain times of day at work I would cough. No phlegm or hacking, just a dry cough. I kept ignoring it until after about 6 weeks, when I went to see my doctor on the 15th of October. He sounded me and went through a checklist (any blood, phlegm, weight loss, difficulty breathing) and I said no to everything. It really was just a persistent occasional dry cough. He said I could have an x-ray taken if I wanted to but it wasn't really needed, I was happy to leave it at that. He said give it a month.

A few days after this things worsened. I began to feel a bit of discomfort in the upper part of my right lung. It felt kind of cold and damp. I wouldn't say I was ever wheezing or short of breath, but I just had a weird sensation in my right lung when I exhaled, it felt very heavy and irritated. These feelings kind of varied in intensity through the day, but again the cough was always dry, nothing being brought up. 

At this point (about the 25th October) I thought it could be to do with my room, where I spend most of my time, and have done for years. There has never been great circulation in there because its damn cold and I keep the window and door closed. There was a faint kind of chalky white film on the walls (http://i.imgur.com/OVBTwur.jpg) that I never bothered about because it was really difficult to wipe off and would return within a couple weeks, and it didnt look like mould (no dark patches). I did pretty much no dusting so there was a small build up. I now realise this has been a stupid way to live my life but I;ve been healthy and felt nothing negative so I put everything off until later. It wasn't until about a week into November though that I moved completely out of that room.

There was a very slight improvement, and on the 15th November I went back to my doc. He seemed a bit annoyed that I'd returned though, I got the impression that he felt I was worried about nothing. This time he didnt sound me, I told him about moving out of my room and he said that could be it, and to give it 2-4 weeks, thankyou & goodbye.

So now thats been 2 weeks since the appointment, and 3 weeks overall not setting foot in that room. It really has only been since Sunday that I felt considerably better. I still cough every day though (worse than I did 3 months ago when it started), usually when getting up and moving around or moving from a hot to cold atmosphere etc. After a while it calms down. The discomfort and heaviness in my lung has reduced a lot, but I definitely still notice it now and again.

I really would like to know the reason I have been feeling like this. Have I developed an allergy to dust or mould? I never had a runny nose or eyes or sneezed. Also I never began wheezing or felt like I couldnt breathe. Has it just been an infection, and any improvement from moving out of my room has just been a coincidence?

Also I would like to know if there is any way to speed up my recovery, because it feels so long since I have just breathed normally and not thought about it. I don't know whether I should be resting as much as possible, or if I should be getting more exercise and working out the lungs, or if I should just be doing things I normally do.

Thanks for any advice.

1 like, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi there sounds like you need to see a good pulmonolgist and have a Cat Scan done to really know what's going on with your lungs. The white stuff you were talking about could very well be Aspergillus growing the only reason I know this is I have lung disease and know about a lot of different things. Are you still having that feeling in your lungs you were talking about? Your Dr. Should be more concerned. Good luck and I hope you get everything checked out and get some answers.
    • Posted

      Yes I do still have that feeling in my lungs, it's not as pronounced as it was though. Right now it's just a mild feeling in my lung that only has me coughing a few times a day when I'm active. 
    • Posted

      I still think it would be a good idea to get checked out by a good pulmonolgist if you have one where you live. I do know my Dr. Said that a regular chest c-ray misses 85% of what's going on in our lungs. That's why I said to get a cat scan. Hope this helps.
    • Posted

      Thanks smile I would like to. I plan on visiting another doctor this month and seeing if they can help me more. I was just hoping someone on here might recognise my symptoms.
    • Posted

      Your symptoms sound like you were allergic to whatever that white substance was in that room. Aspergillus is a fungus that grows in many houses and is in leaves and things like that in your yard. Just good to check it out and make sure you don't have any damage.

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