Ashmatic Cough- any solutions?

[Jaimee]

Dh has a terrible cough.  Not the kind that is caused by a dry throat or a tickle in the throat, but the kind that is caused by the lungs needing to take in more air so he coughs.  He's been told this is an asthmatic cough and it is caused by his seasonal allergies.  So if he can keep his allergies under control, the cough is under control, but several times a year this simply isn't possible.  The meds stop working and back comes the cough.  Not only is it painful for him, but it keeps us all up at night.

He has tried other forms of allergy control like local honey, herbs, neti pot, etc. but nothing works reliably.  Usually the  meds are enough, but right now they aren't and we all need more sleep!  I'll note that food allergies do run in his family, but not the typical top 8.  He has mild allergies to certain fruits. It doesn't appear that the cough is related to any foods.

Has anyone dealt with an allergen induced asthmatic cough?  Any advice?  Thanks!!

[dakotablue]

I'm sorry your Dh is going through this. Asthma sucks!

The only thing I can suggest that works for me is to find out if he has any slight allergies to foods.

My doctor described my asthma attacks as filling up a cup. I am allergic to cats, oranges, gluten molds ect...

Some days I can be around cats no problem, other days I can't. He said its because my 'cup' was more full.

Trying to think how to describe it without hand motions. Having an orange fills my cup half way and if I don't come in connect with any other allergens I'll be fine, but that same day I pet a cat which fills me another 1/4 cup then I walk by a smoker which is 1/2 cup more and BAM asthma attack. So often people think the attacks are random, or only the smoker and they never know different because they drink OJ everyday and never explored deeper. 

For me I used to have tons of attacks year round. Now I barely have any because I discovered an intolerance to gluten, not celiac, but my asthma is always worse, more likely to over flow if I eat it so I don't.

Hope this long thing helps...

[Jaimee]

Thanks Dakota!  I do understand what you're saying.  I was actually thinking the same exact thing.  Usually the meds work, so why not now?  I figured it was a allergen volume issue- you just get to an overload point.  And in typical allergy fashion once it starts it spirals and it's difficult to get it back in check.

His food allergy reaction is in his throat and on his tongue.  It seems to be some apples, some pears, and occasionally other random fruits like plums, cherries, etc.  His aunt is allergy to strange things like carrots, cantaloupe, and watermelon.  Our dd appeared to be allergic to strawberries for a while, but no longer.  So I'm not sure if it would be food related since we don't eat these things every day.  But it's definitely worth monitoring more closely so thank you for the idea.

Anyone else dealing with cough variant asthma?

[2xy]

I have cough variant asthma, and so does DS1. His is related to environmental allergies. He's allergic to a few kind of grasses, cats, and dogs. He takes Zyrtec and his asthma only flares up during/after a cold.

I had the condition as a child and it seemed to go away, only to reappear in my late 20's. I have other issues related to histamines (cholinergic urticaria, angioedema, and geographic tongue), so I figured it might be allergy related. I had testing done and wasn't apparently allergic to anything.

When I was 38, I began experiencing heartburn. Long story short.....I tested positive for Helicobacter Pylori. My ex had contracted it when he was stationed overseas (when I was in my late 20's), and he was treated but nobody thought to check me for it. The bug was causing acid reflux, which was being aspirated and irritating my lungs. I didn't know this was the main cause of my asthmatic problems until I'd been treated with antibiotics for the H. Pylori. My doctor told me that acid reflux and asthma are commonly linked.....you can have reflux so mild that you don't have any heartburn pain, but it messes with your lungs.

[lnitti]

the fruit and vege allergies to me seem like OAS especially given he has seasonal allergies.

[Jaimee]

He doesn't react to the foods all the time; only sometimes and he hadn't had any of those fruits when the cough showed up.  So I'm unsure.  He's not interested in eliminating them completely so I guess we won't know.  It has rained the last two days and the cough is better.  So I guess the dust and pollens are down.  They do a lot of harvesting around here (corn) and kick up a bunch of dust. 

What's OAS?  Oral Allergy Syndrome?

Edited by Jaimee - 9/27/11 at 3:50pm

[34me]

I have 2 boys and a girl with cough varient asthma.  My worst kiddo is my most allergic kiddo.  Most of the time we can control it with allergy meds and really keeping on top of it that way.  Every once in a while we have to give in to the dreaded 3-4 day steroid burst.  Do you have a peak flow meter?

[Jaimee]

No, no meter, but dh did just tell me he took his inhaler last night and he definitely had a much better night.  Usually the inhaler doesn't help, but it's albuterol, not a steroid.  Would a steroid work better in this case?  We try to avoid steroids in general (I refused to use them for dd's eczema), but I admit to using my steroid nasal inhaler when my allergies get out of control.  So if he only had to take it a few times it could be worth it.