Chronic cough is a persistent cough that lasts for at least eight weeks, and often much longer. Although cough is a common symptom of many lung diseases, chronic cough can't always be linked to another disease or condition, and it often doesn't respond to treatment. A chronic cough can impact your quality of life and, depending on the severity, can result in a variety of physical and mental symptoms including vomiting, muscle pain, rib fractures, fatigue, depression and more.
Lisa had been living with a chronic cough for more than 25 years. She recalls it starting in college when she had acute bronchitis. At that time, the cough lasted for eight weeks. Almost every year after that whenever she had a cold, the cough would come back and each time it would linger longer until 2017 when the cough didn’t go away.
Q: What was your road to diagnosis like?
A: It took over 25 years total to finally get a diagnosis. I saw countless specialists and had just about every test that you can imagine. I saw primary healthcare providers, gastroenterologists, allergists, ENTs, speech therapists and pulmonologists. I was tested for asthma, allergies and various lung diseases. I had blood tests, chest CT scans, lung x-rays, endoscopies and much more. Another challenge was taking time off work to go to all the appointments, but fortunately, I had good health insurance so I could see all these different specialists.
Q: What was the turning point in your journey?
A: The real difference occurred when I stopped living in a silo with all the specialists I saw. For years I would go to one specialist and then another. None of the specialists communicated with each other. I felt like I always had to be the driver in this journey. I started going to a cough clinic and the multi-disciplinary team worked together to figure out what was wrong with me. It helped that for once, I didn’t have to feel like I was controlling everything.
Q: What is it like to live with a chronic cough?
A: People don’t understand that this is more than just a cough. Coughing fits can result in headaches, neck and back pain, vomiting and stress incontinence. It can be physically exhausting, but it also has an emotional toll. You get a lot of side-eyes from people when you start coughing in public places, especially since the COVID pandemic. It also can be embarrassing if I have a coughing fit when I am around other people. But at the end of the day, I live my life and don’t let it stop me. Overall, family, friends and even strangers are generally understanding.
Q: Do you have a support system for managing your diagnosis?
A: Really, my primary support system is the team of healthcare providers at the chronic cough clinic who have been amazing cheerleaders and supporters. They have been determined to help me. I also have friends and family that are supportive.
Chronic cough can feel isolating
Having a support network and sharing with others experiencing similar challenges can be helpful. The American Lung Association has a free online community on Inspire.com for individuals living with chronic cough.
Q: What advice do you have for people who may have a chronic cough?
A: Persistence is the key to getting the correct diagnosis. I strongly recommend a muti-disciplinary approach to your cough and if possible, going to a cough clinic. I am an advocate for myself, trying multiple treatments recommended by the specialists and am willing to pursue clinical trials if my specialists believe that is the right path for me.
You can learn more at Lung.org/chronic-cough or call the Lung HelpLine at 1-800-LUNGUSA.
Blog last updated: August 6, 2024
