Ongoing cough making me depressed

[thebestbirtheraccordingtoDD]

I've had a cough for years and years.
Saw my GP years ago because I was awake half the night coughing until I retched.

He told me to go and buy pholcodeine cough medicine.
I was buying the odd bottle every few months. When I moved I changed surgeries and about 2 years ago a lady in a local chemist told me to try anti histamines. This worked for about a year then cough retuned with a vengeance. Contacted new Gp because my life was controlled by my cough.

I was bladder incontinent because my pelvic floor was non existent due to hard coughing.
Had blood tests, chest X-ray, asthma tests all clear. It died off a bit for a few months and only really occurred when I laughed or spoke for more than a few minutes. Now it's back again worse than ever. I cough until I retch every 2/3 minutes. It's really getting me down. I can't control anything like breaking wind or wetting myself. Any ideas what I can do or what the cause could be.

Sorry for massive post

Poor you. it’s debilitating.

Ask your Gp for a sputum test & a referral to the EN&T and respiratory clinics. You should also be asking for a scan (not just an X-ray). I was diagnosed with nasal polyps plus Bronchiecstisis and microbacterium avian (which a massive dose of antibiotics helped clear). A friend was diagnosed with a kind of cancer with similar symptoms.

Dust mites allergy? I was diagnosed with this and coughing was a symptom.

Could it be reflux?

I've just had a huge coughing fit and put my back out. I'm in agony now.
It's pathetic. Woke us both coughing in the night because I can't suppress it so not only am I in pain I'm to tired.

It's like a constant tickle in my throat that I have to clear.

I'm sure reflux was ruled out last year.
I might start the anti histamine again to see if that helps.

I'll ask the doctors again if they can try anything else as suggested. Thank you.

Have youhada peak flow test done for asthma?

I cough like a bastard whenmine is bad but Night Nurse does the trick.

Reflux probably. I have chronic cough from post nasal drip, although ive been worked through a number of steroids, steroid sprays and an operation its still there

Now I have also developed reflux which is a different type of cough and the antacids dont seem that effective to me

Ive had every respiratory investigation under the sun.

I have a chronic cough. My GP, when I first went to them said most coughs are for one of the three following reasons:

Post nasal drip
Reflux
Asthma

I have all three! Am on medication for all three but still cough every day and have been told that some people just have to put up with a cough. It's a pain. Doesn't sound as bad as yours though.

Try some gaviscon at night and see if that helps. How was the asthma ruled out?

This sounds awful and as your gp doesn't know what the problem is you need referring to ENT for further tests, you could be aspirating where saliva leaks into your trachea causing constant coughing, you at least need a scope to see if there's anything obvious tracheal side imo.

It's clearly having a massive impact on your quality of life so tell your useless gp to refer you to someone who can do more tests and find out what is going on. Good luck.

Just to add I was misdiagnosed with asthma for decades when it was actually post nasal drip

Thank you all. Really struggling tonight. We've come away for the night and the pain in my back is awful. Can't believe I did this coughing.

Worth mentioning that I've hardly coughed today not at all outside and only a little in the hotel which makes me wonder if my house is a manky dust fest which is slowly killing me.