I have a cough, but it's not COVID-19* HATS

Details: Written by Karen Smith-Will; Parent Category: Research; Category: Tryptasemia & Co-Morbidities; Published: 17 March 2020

*Or whatever the current pandemic may be.

As symptoms go, cough is relatively benign--until it's not. For those of us with not-fully-managed, chronic, or idiopathic cough, this appears to be a societal risk, from the perspective of anyone not "in the know." This article provides some options that have been beneficial for me.

Naturally, if there is a reasonable chance you may have COVID-19, this article is not for you. Similarly, if you have experienced long-term coughing, your causes may be very different than mine, so proceed with caution.

I began coughing at age 16; without putting too fine of a point, that was decades ago for me. The cough started with pneumonia and exacerbated when I experienced anaphylaxis, from a combination of 3 drugs. I have constantly had medical care for this issue since that time.

Naturally, neither I nor anyone else is a poster child for Hereditary Alpha Tryptasemia Syndrome (HATS). But if a single one of these tips is beneficial for you, I would be thrilled.

If your cough is caused by ______ use ______:

- allergies, your fave H1

- asthma, albuterol (at the beginning of the attack) & clemastine fumarate (2x daily)

- hiatal hernia + GERD, your fave h2

- vcd/partially-paralyzed left vocal cord, gabapentin

- low oxygen O², monitoring via CPAP (causes both coughing & yawning)

- HATS mast-cell issues, nebulized cromolyn or ketotifen

Homeopathic & other treatments:

- avoid menthol/strong mint. Menthol cough drops, toothpaste, Altoids.

- avoid all tomato products (+ vinegar & anything acidic or spicy). And I live in Hanover, which has the Annual ? Festival

- avoid ice. Even if my friends and family are ordering for me, they know to say no/low ice. A Taiwanese friend's mom brought this to my attention, suggesting that temperatures that are closer to those of my actual body are better for this. GREAT call.

- daily spoon of local honey for local allergies

- drink hot tea (preferably without caffeine)

- gargle hot salt water gargle works if cough is combined w/ sore throat

- breathe. My VCD therapist spent a whole session on this.

- avoid fine particulates (aerosol, chemical, flour in the air, finely ground spices/pepper, perfumes)

- avoid other people who cough. This one sounds insane, but hearing another person cough makes me cough (even with expending specific energy to avoid it).

- avoid crying. It sends tears down the back of my throat, which makes me cough.

- avoid eating. (Okay, this one I really can't do. But eating causes me to cough, so I avoid eating during a conference call, in-person MTG, or before a performance.)

- acupuncture did not work

- oils of any mix did not work

Whatever is causing your coughing, I hope you are able to get it under control soon.

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