Anyone out there have Cough Variant Asthma?

[poohs_hunny]

I think that I have this and I was wondering what your symptoms were, how you were diagnosed, and what your treatment is.
For over a year (getting progressively more frequent and severe), I periodically get a cough with an itchiness in my chest. It then progresses into violent coughing, wheezing and coughing up mucous. Sometines I can go a week or more without it happening, and other times it happens every day. I got bronchitis twice this winter (never had it before) with wheezing and a horrible cough and had to be on Prednizone and was given an inhaler. Since then, I've been using the inhaler when I first get the cough and itchiness in my chest, and it takes away the symptoms almost immediately every time. My doctor sent me for pulminary function tests, and all were normal, so they're saying no asthma. So then why is the inhaler working? I have heard of cough variant asthma and the symptoms sound like what I am experiencing, but it is very hard to diagnose because the pulminary function tests will often be normal. Anyone have experience with cough variant asthma?

 

[jmpurdy]

Our son's doctor always said, if the treatment helps, there's your answer.
Are the symptoms brought on by a trigger such as exercise, allergen?
Keep a diary to see when the symptoms begin. Does your rescue inhaler help immediately? Remember, the asthma is caused by a trigger.
Not sure about the itchiness you are describing, but our son felt this with certain foods as allergies coincide with asthma many times. Even stress can bring on an attack. Our son used to cough so hard, he would puke and finally a doctor walked by as he was coughing in the office and ordered that he have a nebulizer treatment. Within 1/2 he was asleep in the office during the treatment. He looked at us and said, he has asthma! I couldnt' believe it. We went round and round for so long trying to find out what was wrong and he was mis-diagnosed with bronchitis, etc. and we were actually told to just 'rub his back and give him a glass of water' when he was coughing/puking. The poor kid was struggling to breathe! Best of luck. It is no fun. Our son still has asthma as an adult.

 

[poohs_hunny]

Anyone else?

 

[MizTink]

i don't have any answers for you but i've been going through the same thing for months. except i've tried using my son's inhaler and it didn't help me.
i cough to the point where i feel like my head is just gonna explode! and sometimes i do finally vomit from it.
cough meds do nothing. not even prescription ones.

 

[disfan07]

I have had asthma for 15 yrs (since i was 4) but i was just given a "formal" diagnosis about a month ago.

I had the same thing, all of my pulmonary function tests came back normal but the inhlaers, nebulizers and steroids would work.
i have been admitted to the hospital 8 times in the past 3 yrs wiht asthma attacks....2 times in respiratory failure.
After exhausting all medication adn my symptoms getting worse, my pulmonologist did a bronchoscopy which was normal.
After that he did a methacholline challenge test. This is when they have you inhale a substance that causes an asthma attack IF you did in fact have asthma. They give you increasing quantities 6 different times adn if your lung function drops by more than 20%, before the maximum does, than you do have asthma.
My function dropped 66% after the second dose.

Basically what i am saying is, even if pulmonary function tests are normal that doesnt really mean anything. My function tests are always within normal range but i have one of the most severe cases that my pulmonologist has seen in someone my age.

Are you seeing a pulmonologist? Thats the first step. You need to get refered to a pulmonologist otherwise you're really not going ot get any answers. And if it was your pulmonologist who said that you dont have asthma becaus eof th epulmonary function test results, get a second opinion

 

[jmpurdy]

The only thing I can add to my earlier post is that our son rarely wheezes. He coughs. And it won't improve without a treatment, either rescue inhaler, or when that won't work, a nebulizer treatment in the ER. Worst case, with a steroid. Agree that a 2nd opinion may be in order? Best of luck.

 

[ahutton]

I was diagnosed with asthma as an adult, I was pregnant and had a cold and they noticed the wheezing. They asked if I had ever had episodes where I coughed so hard I couldn't catch my breath, had allergies, or anything like that and I didn't think so. However, I had, on occassion, woken up at night choking/coughing. Turns out, that was an asthma attack. It happens that mine gets worse with heartburn, that irritates the passages and then I have an attack, which is why it got so much worse when pregnant and sick.

Now I carry a rescue inhaler in my purse and keep one by my bedside. I probably use one a year - more often they die out before I can use the meds up. But at least when I wake up gasping for air I can do something about it.

So my asthma has never really had a trigger, although it was more common with heartburn. So, maybe that is CVA? The doctor has never said, they just check my oxygen sat numbers, do a breathing test and give me new rescue inhalers once a year.

 

[poohs_hunny]

I'm not seeing a pulminologist yet. My PCP sent me for the pulminary function tests. I thought that since they came back normal, he'd see no need for me to go to a pulminologist, but it seems that that's not true. I'm not sure if I'll need a referral or not. I'll have to look into that. That's interesting about the heartburn setting it off. I have acid reflux, so that may be my trigger. I also have a dust allergy, so that could be it, too. Good luck to anyone else that's dealing with this - it's no fun!

 

[lovetoscrap]

DD13 has this. Diagnosed when she was around 2. Her ped at the time didn't believe that Asthma existed But my doc took a listen to her once and heard a little wheezing and then we were at the hospital for a health fair when she was having a coughing fit and a really bad day and just happened to be passing an allergy/asthma doc booth. He immediately called us over and listened to her and needless to say we had a new doc.

The biggest problem we have had is that she is much worse at night (as are most asthmatics) and by the time you see the doc she is doing better. The only real outward symptom is that she coughs and coughs. I have spent many nights by her bed with the nebulizer (to the dismay of that FORMER ped that said "why would you do that, she won't DIE from it")

I also have asthma and while I have other more typical symptoms, when it gets really bad I will be coughing.

 

[horseshowmom]

i don't have any answers for you but i've been going through the same thing for months. except i've tried using my son's inhaler and it didn't help me.
i cough to the point where i feel like my head is just gonna explode! and sometimes i do finally vomit from it.
cough meds do nothing. not even prescription ones.

I've had a similar experience this year (since Thanksgiving pretty much). I came down with bronchitis and couldn't shake it.

I actually had 3 chest x-rays (different doctors - one my regular doctor, one I saw on New Year's Eve because my doctor was closed, and one by the pulmonologist). The first two did them because it sounded like it could be pneumonia to them. The third one didn't hear anything that particular day (some days are/were worse than others), but he wanted to check for any changes from the other two.

Basically, I've tried every medication including inhalers, a multitude of prescription cough medicines, etc. The pulmonologist thought it was bronchial irritation due to chronic sinusitis.

I was recently out of the country in Israel and the cough was much better (not completely gone but mostly). Within 30 minutes of landing, my husband commented that I was coughing again.

My regular doctor decided to try treating it like allergies and gave me a shot that an ENT would give me (don't remember the name). For the first time in months, I didn't cough that night and felt much better. I'm scheduled to have blood drawn next week to test for allergies.

Now, I already knew I have allergies (was tested years ago as a teenager and took shots that helped minimally) and have always been able to deal with them. However, this winter I could not get well (I'm almost 50 now and have entered menopause - my body is changing). The doctor tells me that the shots are better now than they used to be and thinks I'm going to see some real improvement.

Maybe this could help you too!

 

[Claire L]

I am just about to start tests for a cough I have had since a cold last November. It starts as a tickle and gets really bad and then I feel as if I need to keep clearing my throat as there is something in it. It can be worse at night when sleeping which is really annoying!

Claire

 

[Grace_Foley]

I've had something similar; weeks and weeks of coughing but no real reason for it i.e. no wheezing, no chest/lung pain just a hacking cough that won't let up no matter what. Codeine cough syrup, Vicks 44D, nothing helped. My doctor was puzzled as x-rays showed no pneumonia/bronchitis and at times would cough up small amounts of blood; she could hear and see me coughing but hadn't a clue as to what could really be happening.

Then one day, I had some nose congestion so took real Sudafed, with psuedoephedrine, as the new stuff doesn't work on me at all. Within 30 minutes my coughing stopped. Post-nasal drip that triggered my cough reflex-- because of all the coughing I had aggravated the bronchial tubes which gave the false impression that it was lung created.

I don't like the way psuedoephedrine makes me feel, heart palpitations and such but it beats coughing.