Every year, I have A Cough. Sometimes it comes on in summer but more often in winter. It’s usually after a cold and particularly when it’s cold and damp, or the weather changes suddenly.
It always lasts for months. It’s a chesty, non-productive cough that sometimes causes a mild wheeze and often leaves me out of breath. No other symptoms. After a month of it, I trot along to the doctor. They have checked my chest (including a chest x-ray), they prescribe a blue inhaler for the wheeze (it helps if the wheeze gets bad but doesn’t stop the cough) and once prescription hayfever medication (which didn’t help). Eventually it stops - usually after a few months.
I have no other symptoms. I’m a bit overweight and score low on a peak flow meter (which may be because a deep breath makes me cough). I’ve never had any other asthma symptoms and no GP has suggested asthma.
I think it started when I had bronchitis in my teens. It’s got better since I stopped living in a very damp foggy bit of the Thames Valley.
I have it now and I’m a bit depressed at the thought of it lingering for months. Is there anything I can do or try to shift it? I feel I should go to the mountains like a Victorian TB patient but don’t think either the NHS or Occy Health are going to sign off on an all expenses trip to the Alps…