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dburtaine · 02-26-2008, 06:38 PM

Hello to everyone,

I have a rather out of the ordinary question. I have had a chronic cough for about 5 years -- sometimes it is worse than other times but it never disappears. I take medicine for acid reflux, but the cough never seems to go away. Sometimes it is accompanied by mucus, but much of the time, it is a dry, tickling feeling in the top/middle of my throat (not too far below the chin). Sometimes, if I pinch or compress the skin/muscles in my neck right below the chin, it eases the cough for a few seconds.

I have been tested for allergies and have none. Therefore, I went to an ENT a few weeks ago. He discovered a 2 cm nodule on the left lobe of my thyroid, which I was unaware of. He sent me for an ultrasound which revealed that I had suspected thyroidistis (due to increased vascularity in both lobes). The nodule was solid and is now being evaluated further. I went for the first step in the RAIU scan today.

I have read online that in some cases, thyroiditis can cause a chronic cough due to irritation around the trachea. I was curious if anyone else has experienced a chronic cough along with their thyroid issues. How would I even begin to get this evaluated? I don't think it is something that the RAIU scan would reveal.

My husband is actually more worried about my cough issues than my recently uncovered thyroid issues, because the cough has been going on for years and often interferes with my normal activities. Sometimes I wake my at night with a coughing attack that can last for half an hour or more. I even developed a hiatal hernia from so much coughing.

Now I am beginning to wonder if the cough could be related to the thyroid. It would be nice to be able to clear up both issues at once

.

If anyone has any ideas on this issue, please let me know. Thank you

Debbie

lola56 · 02-26-2008, 07:21 PM

I have also had that cough it wakes me up in the middle of the night and I feel like it almost takes my breath away it tickles and itches so I also was wondering the same thing?

mkgbrook · 02-26-2008, 07:39 PM

Dito all the thyroid dysfunctional females in my family have this ache/itch/tickle cough that is quite chronic. We just live with it and keep a lot of water on hand. The main issue with that is you have to pee, alot.

MG

Oleander53 · 02-27-2008, 07:57 AM

Are you on Blood pressure medication? Some BP meds will cause a dry cough....... I am on Monopril and it causes a cough......it is a side effect.......

Oleander

mkgbrook · 02-27-2008, 08:03 AM

I was on BP meds for a month. My Aunts or mother are not BP meds. It would be a logical choice though. I have acid reflux.. which could be an issue. Except I am medicated for it and the cough came after I had been treated for a while. My acid reflux is mainly reflected in the lava burps. Ugh.

MG

dburtaine · 02-27-2008, 07:04 PM

I have acid reflux also. I had an endoscopy done in December. It showed mild to moderate inflammation of the esophagus (biopsies came back as normal) as well as chronic gastritis. I was taking 20 mg of Aciphex once a day. After the endoscopy, my doctor upped my dosage to 40 mg (20 before breakfast and 20 before dinner). I have also really cut back on "trigger" foods like tomatoes, chocolate, etc. I sleep with my head raised in bed. I have spent several really bad nights sleeping in my Lazy Boy chair. The only symptom I really have of GERD is the cough; I do not experience the heartburn, etc. Even on the higher dosage, my cough has not improved. I go back to see the GI doctor in two months. I think my condition is more like LPR than GERD. My larynx area seems very irritated. I saw an ENT about the cough. He says my uvula is elongated and wants to trim it. I have read that the side effects of this surgery can often be severe depending on the amount of trimming necessary (food coming out of your nose, frequent choking, and excess mucus). I do not need any more mucus!

After learning about my thyroid issues, I started thinking that maybe this could be contributing at least partially to the cough. I am putting off a decision about the uvula surgery until I work the thyroid issues out. I am hoping my cough will improve when my thyroid is taken care of. Here's hoping

I do not take any BP meds.

Debbie

Debbie

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