My cough -- the past

I've always coughed more than average. As a kid, I always had that tickle. Every cold came with a I suppose there are people who go days without coughing but that's impossible for me to even imagine.

This cough is not just the occasional clearing of the throat. It's a full-blown cough. It's the kind of cough where people turn their heads when they hear it and ask me if I'm alright. This may be too much information, but if my bladder isn't fairly empty, I have to cross my legs. Sometimes I almost throw up. Tears come to me eyes and I get lightheaded. It's not pretty. It comes and goes as to intensity.

The first time it got really bad was when I was in college. I went to the doctor, he couldn't figure out anything, I got referred to another, then another doctor. I had x-rays and and blood work, all completely without any problem. I went to an allergist (no allergies) and a pulmonary doctor, who had me blow into tubes to check lung volume. Even though it was all completely normal, I was prescribed various asthma meds. The worst one was a capsule full of powder I had to inhale a couple of times a day. Frankly, it seemed it irritate me more than help.

After months of hopping from doctor to doctor (each of them pulling me aside, saying that I could tell them I smoked. I didn't, not even in those days), I was exhausted by it all. All serious causes had been ruled out, and, while it remained a mystery, it seemed not quite as bad and I stopped trying to figure it out. It was probably related to stress, but I wasn't going to die from it.

It came and went through the years, but about nine years ago, it came back really fierce. At work, people stopped in my office to be sure I was okay. "It's just a cough," I would say, although they looked alarmed. I decided I'd try to find out the cause again, this time with new doctors.

The same tests as before were rerun: x-rays, a CAT scan on my sinuses, allergy tests, pulmonary function. I was still without anything. No tumors, no allergies, no "growths", nothing. The pulmonary doctor suggested tramadol, noting I had a sensitive cough reflex. The allergist said I had post-nasal drip and suggested Allegra, and, after a GI scoping, I was diagnosed with silent GERD and prescribed a proton-pump inhibitor. This seemed to control it for a while. But about six months ago, it came back again.