Confusing cough; any ideas?
Condensed version: Grandmom had a fall on 12/31 ~ but had no congestion/cough issues until 01/03. She does clear her throat from time to time but it seemed to be more pronounced. Doctor ordered a chest xray - RUL had the start of an infection (opacities/likely start of infection ~ per radiologist report). Zpack was given along with a nasal spray (starts with an I ~ really long word I can’t spell). Middle of the month ~ still seemed ‘off’ (though not as bad as it was prior). Doctor ordered a second round of Zpack but also ordered Mucinex (and suggested I keep Robutussin DM on hand as a backup). Doc prescribed the second round because grandmom did improve from a few weeks ago. Second xray was done last week ~ and it’s all clear. Doctor has no answer about why the cough is still lingering. Seemed to think it may have to run its course. No changes in eating or drinking ~ same activity levels as usual ~ no pain (other than the bad shoulder, nothing new) ~ no fever. I do have home care coming to the house (wanted them to do a home evaluation, looking into getting some modifications - grab bars, etc). They are just as stumped about the cough as I (and the rest of us are) am. In the past (long while ago) she was diagnosed with a touch of GERD but it never bothered her. Tempted to buy Zantac to see if it makes a difference. I do have the head of her (hospital) bed raised a bit more as a precaution. She does have heart issues but everything is stable ~ EKG, etc is ok.
It feels like I’m missing a piece of the puzzle, I’m confused.
I remember as a child that I was diagnosed with GERD ~ part of the treatment included no food/drink two hours before bedtime. <— wondering if that’s the missing piece?
Sorry about the “rant” but I’m feeling confused.
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Best of luck finding the answer of what the cause is.
Just left the cardiologist office ~ grandmom’s regular routine follow up visit. Echocardiogram was good (actually slightly better than last scan). He did get my message about lisinopril ~ said to stop it (...just found that out today). His wording ~ lisinopril is/was so low he said it’s ok to stop it. Likely the cause of the mystery cough. Next follow up visit scheduled for May.
She’s holding her own ~ vital signs stable, etc. I’m extremely grateful.
It is worth asking your mother's PCP to have a look at a swap, but don't expect miracles :( - effective medications without *any* adverse side effects are somewhat unicornish. My mother's cardiologist tried her on spironolactone which was great - until her potassium shot through the roof. We resigned ourselves to the irritating cough option.
First thing in the morning I’m going to call the cardiologist and find out how close the next appointment is... depending upon that (if it’s too far away) - may email her family doctor again and ask him to switch from lisinopril to anything ‘else’.
Allergic reactions don't always start at the onset of taking the drug. Talk to your pharmacist about this.
Prescription wise — day time: lisinopril; metropolol ER; furosemide (3 times a week); tylenol arthritis. Bed time: aspirin; mirtazapine (I forget the exact dosage but the pill gets cut in half and she takes 0.5 mg); probiotics (per GI doctor ~ probiotics to prevent c-diff relapse); and travatan eye drops (macular degeneration).
Side note: also sees an ENT ~ ears ok ~ had wax removed (nothing new). No fluid buildup (like me, she’s got PE tubes).