Larynghitis - 11 days and counting - Extreme Coughing Spasms

[cowgirlnerd]

Ok, I have been sick for about 6 weeks now - off and on with flu like symptoms, going to bronchitis a couple of times (I have had chronic bronchitis for about 5 years).  I have been through 3 rounds of antibiotics, have tripled my dosage of Advair to 500mg twice daily from 250 mg once - I am taking Combivent inhalers every 4 hours, I have recently been given a massive cough medicine to make me stop coughing (isn't working) - which is the second kind of cough medicine, Singulair...

There have been 2 rounds of chest X-rays; blood work (which only shows an elevation that represents a mild asthma attack - ok, this is 6 weeks, come on), and now I am scheduled to go to an ENT on Tuesday.

The general consensus from the 3 doctors (2 ER's and my family doctor) is that I am having allergies with asthma issues.   I have coughed so hard that I have bruised my esophagus, and so now for the 11th day - I have no voice - I mean NO voice.  I still have extreme bouts of coughing that expel ALL of the air from my lungs, and make me cough to the point of completely losing my breath ( and loss of bladder control at times).  It comes in spasms like 5 or 6 bursts of coughs at a time - deep unproductive coughing.

I feel like I am choking and there is something stuck in my throat.  X-rays don't see this.  

What in the world will they be looking for when I go and has anyone had anything like this?  I KNOW I am sick - they tell me I am sick, but act like it's no big deal....except urging me to get seen by a specialist right away.  I am exhausted and want this resolved - what do you think?

HELP!

[cowgirlnerd]

I can barely whisper.  I have been working this week - but it's hard to manage an office and send teams of installers out of state to jobs when you can't talk!  GEEZ!

No, I am not having any nasal symptoms.  I swear, I am sore from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet.  I have coughed and coughed until all of my muscles are sore.  I will think I am getting better, then WHAM - it gets worse.  If we hadn't been closed for a couple of weeks during the holidays - I don't know what I would have done.  

The last doctor that reviewed my xrays said it was like having a torn ligament in your leg.  He told me that my throat looks like someone just punched me in the throat - bruising, etc.  

Overall, I feel yucky.  I felt better yesterday - but had slept pretty good the night before.  The stupid insomnia going with my bipolar doesn't help.  I sleep in about 2 hour spurts and then I get up and start coughing again.  No rest.  Plus, they are making me take steroids  - which aren't good for me - make me really *itchy on top of it.

DANG!

[MJIthewriter]

I've had laryngitis before, at least about a couple times.  The vocal cords get inflamed and that's why you can't talk.  It does feel like there is something stuck in there. Likely that's part of the inflammation.  I don't have asthma but I do get seasonal allergies on top of perennial allergies.  Add a cold to the mix and it does leave one feeling very miserable.

Do you get a lot of post nasal drip?  That could add to your coughing.  For my allergies and for the cold I had, they prescribed Fluticasone Propionate nasal spray. It's the generic form of something, but it helps cut down on the nasal inflammation as well as the post nasal drip.

When I had a cold this year, they had me use the nasal spray along with the cough medicine.  It didn't give the cold the chance to develop into a nasty inflammation.


BTW, when I lived with my family, my dad found it awfully cute when I got laryngitis and couldn't talk...  But I could still whisper...