Unclear symptoms
Hi. My name is Arthur. I have been having issues with continuos cough for the last two years. Doctors, I have been to, nor diagnose me 100% with asthma, neither refute it. My only and main symptom is cough. But the thing is, that coughing stops completely some time after I start sleeping. Be it night or during the day. And persists when I'm awake. Can it be that you may have some type of cough induced asthma, but you don't cough during the sleeping period at all?!
I was recently diagnosed with adult onset asthma. (Had all the lung function tests and an HRCT to rule out any other issues … all else is good.) Oddly my asthma related cough goes away during sleep too. We learned from the CT scan that my asthma is only affecting my upper right lobe … and I always sleep on my left side. Pulmo theorizes that sleeping on my left side drains the asthma-generated mucus from that right lobe (hence the coughing subsides). This works too when I lay on my left side when awake. Strange!
That's really interesting, otter. I'm not an asthma expert, so your situation is a new one for me. Did your pulmonologist offer any ideas as to why you developed asthma in the first place, especially in just the one lobe? Really curious to learn more, and I hope you'll update us as time goes on. Ideally it's not e-asthma, but if that should be the case, we have plenty of articles on the subject and a few patient advocates here that have e-asthma as well. All the best to you! -Melissa, asthma.net team
Thanks for the answer! I have a similar situation. For me it does not really matter wich side I sleep on. And as you stated, I can lay on any side and with time the cough starts to subside for no clear reason. That's really strange for a standart asthma as I understand. Will try to get to the bottom reason of this.
Hi Arthur, and thanks for your post. We appreciate you sharing this aspect of your condition with the community. Although we cannot provide medical advice or diagnostics over the internet (for your own safety), your comment certainly warrants a reply.
It is somewhat confusing that doctors seem to neither diagnose you with asthma (100%), nor rule it out, either! (Did I understand what you wrote correctly?)
There is an established method for the diagnosis of this condition and all its various subsets. Do you have faith in the doctors with whom you've interacted up until this point? Perhaps you would want to seek out a pulmonologist who should be able to provide you with a definitive diagnosis and a plan for treatment.
What do you think?
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)Yes, you understood it correctly. The thing is that the only symptom I have is cough which completely subsides whenever I sleep or just laying down. Considering an established method for asthma diagnosis, I've made spirography and It didn't really show anything that should cause that kind of cough, plus some other tests.
Considering cough-casuing conditions, I have already excluded stuff like: heart related problems, pancreas and stomach problems. Trying to determine the influence of nasal septum spike that I have, which may be the cause of post nasal drip with my ENT. Plus trying to exclude neurogenic cough.
Hi again, Arthur, and thanks for your reply and further explanation - we appreciate it. I also appreciate your telling me I understood your situation correctly.
As you work with your physician(s) to secure a definitive diagnosis and, rule out diagnoses that are not appropriate for your condition, you may be aware that asthma affects everyone differently. I wonder if you have considered the asthma type, 'cough variant asthma'? I thought you might find it interesting and helpful to look over this article on that very subject: https://asthma.net/types/cough-variant.
Please do keep us posted as you move forward.
If there is anything we can do to assist you, please let me or any other moderator / team member know.
Wishing you well,
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)
