Do you have a cough?
Do you have a cough?
Why are we all coughing so much? WSG 102
I didn’t cough so much ten years ago. Did you? When I was about 47 I acquired a cough and it just….kept going. We had gone to London and I got super sick while I was there and remained so when I came home. And, it just never seemed to leave! Great gobs of goo and whatnot.
Of course it got better. I got better. But, the cough would come back whenever I got sick and stick around like a bad habit. Eventually, the cough morphed into asthma and that was a real problem. I couldn’t run. I wheezed a lot. I coughed up unspeakably gross stuff in a wheezing rib cracking hack. I got really sick frequently for weeks at a time. Finally, I went to the doctor. Hurrah. Well, clearly I have asthma, said one doc. Well, no, I have never had asthma. So of course they said, ‘yes you do’ and treated it as such (prednisone, albuterol). Didn’t work.
Maybe it’s from my stomach and reflux disease, or GERD said another doctor or two. What a name, GERD. I have insurance so the testing wheel started spinning. First the medications. Then the different tests. The scopes up the nose and then later down the throat with anesthesia in the office. The scopes in the hospital with “twilight” anesthesia to see if I was getting Barrett’s pre-cancer esophageal disease. We raised our bed at the headboard, I got a wedge pillow, no eating or drinking anything fun. Still, I couldn’t really control this cough from hell. Going out to eat was nearly impossible during COVID when I had the cough. A quick way to clear a room when I’d start coughing uncontrollably into my napkin and excuse myself. Super fun for my family.
Next. Perhaps, it’s an allergy! I’ve never had allergies. Many scratch tests on arms and backs later, to be repeated the next years to double check. Lo and behold my middle aged bod had become allergic to some stuff. Dust mites. That’s like saying you’re allergic to everything. Also, I’m allergic to Bermuda grass and cats and dogs. Never was, but, now I am. So, quick like a bunny I wrapped the mattress in allergy and dust mite deflective fabric and the pillows, too. I washed everything in hot water. I got the rugs steam cleaned. I cleaned and cleaned and donned a mask. I was not going to tear up all our carpeting and get rid of our window treatments in the bedroom like they wanted me to. It’s too damn cold in our room to not have carpeting on the floor. Then came the drugs: Flonase, Flovent, Albuterol, Budecinide in a squeezie bottle with distilled water twice a day, Azilastin and another up the nose spray I can’t remember. Then came allergy shots. I’ve been getting them for three years plus! Almost done and guess what? I’m sitting here wheezy and coughing.
This crazy cough I’ve had for years, on and off, is what prompted me to start WSG. I thought, if I could reach out to thousands of women I might get to the bottom of this. I’ll bet I am not the only midlife lady with a gross cough. I hear it all the time when I am out wandering around.
In the end, I am pretty convinced its from my stomach and post nasal drip (which could be from allergies?). So, no coffee, alcohol, chocolate, sugar or any fun for a bit. I’m told to get on Flonase and Prilosec and some Allegra just for kicks, in case you were wondering.
Do you have a cough?
Happy Eclipse for some of us! We are in NH where there is a ton of snow, unlike the entire ski season. Look, we cross country skied today! There will be a 98.5% eclipse here on Monday. Very exciting. Next week, I swear, it’s Cindy Sterling…@beyond50skin!
xo
k
