Hi all,Interesting how unique all of our journeys are and how similar they are - thank you all for sharing your knowledge, experiences, and compassion!
TL;DR - I think mom coughs to signal discomfort, stress, pain, illness, anxiety, etc. rather than the cough being a symptom of a cough problem (i.e., GERD, post nasal drip, allergies, pneumonia, cold, aspiration).
My mom is 86, has stage 5-ish dementia, is just back from a 5 day hospital stay for pneumonia. Her recent medical journey began with a UTI (to ER, discharged with abx), back to the ER 4 days later b/c of a chronic dry throaty cough for about 5 hours straight - there they discharged her with abx to treat for pneumonia, although her lung was clear mostly.
She came home and just continued to cough for another 1.5 and declined and was so weak and uncomfortable, praying for help. I thought we were waiting for the antibiotics to kick in but brought her back to the ER where she was admitted. She coughed ALL NIGHT LONG - but not a pneumonia deep cough - more of a tickle in her throat cough.
No tessalon pearls, robitusson, cough drops, etc. could stop this cough.
After carefully observing it seems the cough is a response to something else - whether it's b/c she needs to be cleaned, or needs a tums. I've tried discussing with folks but she keeps getting prescribed cough treatments that mostly don't do anything to limit her cough.
Anyone else have this experience? Is this a thing? I read one forum question like this in the past and wonder if others have this experience.
Mom is home now, has 24/7 care, and I am glad she is in her home rather than at a facility. When we leave the house now she starts coughing and it lessons when she gets home.
Thank you all for your support and insights!Lindsay
Best of luck with a difficult situation.
I agree that comfort care is a merciful thing <3
Definitely there can be something around her moving around more and exercising her lungs - but we do that inside also. And she gets the cough inside also, it's just the being away from home results in more coughing.
She is not on an any beta blockers but good thinking. She is on donepezil which I wonder if its involved. Although in hindsight, I feel like Mom has had a cough for many years - and it was just a thing she had with no real explanation.
We are definitely open to finding some sort of help for Mom b/c like your family member, the coughing is exhausting for my poor frail Mom!
See All Answers