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I have had a chronic cough for nearly nine years, also. I am also coughing as I sit here and write. My doctors gave me every conceivable test, and came up with nothing. I finally figured it out for myself after 6 1/2 years, gluten. I have been on a gluten free diet for the past two years, but still have bouts of coughing. I cannot read newspapers, certain paperback books, and I have come to the conclusion that smelling gluten is as bad as ingesting it. My husband cooks oatmeal in the microwave, and I choke and fill up with phlegm for at least 20 minutes. I can't go into a bakery where there is any baking going on, and certain gluten based alcohol in perfumes and aftershaves set me off for about 10 minutes. If I accidentally ingest gluten, it takes a couple of days for my body to get the full effect, and then it takes a week of coughing to get it out of my system. Does any of this sound familiar to you? The doctors tell me not to concern myself with it, it won't kill me. Well, I used to cough about 30 times a day for extended periods where my heart would race and skip beats, but now it is better controlled and I cough 3 or 4 times a day, unless I get into something I shouldn't. I am extremely careful about what I eat, and I think labelling should be vastly improved. My bones used to ache all the time, but once I got off the gluten, I started feeling great! |