“Lung issue?”
For the last 3 months, I've been having shortness of breath and chest pain and coughing. At night I'll wake up sometimes with nonstop coughing not being able to breathe at all for a good 20 minutes I'm wondering if it's possible if my asthma is coming back from when I was a kid but it's a lot more severe than when I was a kid.
Male | 20 years old
Complaint duration: 3 months
Medications: Durela, albuterol
Conditions: ADHD anxiety depression
4 Answers
if you aren't breathing at all for 20 minutes you would be dead. So you are breathing.
I suggest seeing a doctor and talk to them about getting a sleep study. Other things that can cause coughing are reflux, post nasal drip, and pulmonary problems. Try taking an OTC reflux medication at night, and use a nasal steroid spray every day for at least 2 weeks.
I suggest seeing a doctor and talk to them about getting a sleep study. Other things that can cause coughing are reflux, post nasal drip, and pulmonary problems. Try taking an OTC reflux medication at night, and use a nasal steroid spray every day for at least 2 weeks.
While these symptoms can be caused by a variety of disease processes, it most likely is laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). LPR is a variation of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that affects your upper airway. Typical symptoms include a sensation of a lump in the throat, chronic throat clearing, heartburn/chest pain, chronic cough (especially nighttime cough), laryngospasm (vocal cords spasm shut making it difficult to breathe), difficulty swallowing, and hoarseness. A visit to an otolaryngologist (ENT) can help verify these symptoms with physical exam findings by using in-office flexible laryngoscopy. Anti-reflux diet, lifestyle modifications, and medications can help. Given these symptoms, however, it is not a bad idea to have other conditions ruled out that can be more severe.
Your asthma is a possibility in this situation, but I'd strongly consider nocturnal reflux (from your stomach) as a contributing factor. See your pulmonologist first and mention this as a possibility. In the meantime, try elevating the head of your bed and make sure you don't eat (or drink much) for at least a couple hours before lying down at night (that includes lying down on the couch etc).
Yes, most likely the asthma is recurring.
