What could a dry cough mean?!
Question: My fiance has been having this terrible cough that wakes him up at night? He doesn't have anything else wrong with him, no pressure, no headache, etc. He only coughs when he lays down for bed at night and it wakes him up through the night, it's only a dry cough, nothing coming up and his throat is beginning to bother him but he says that has came from coughing so much. Any ideas what this could be? Thanks. Oh, by the way he is an ex-smoker (has been quit over a year now) and this has never happened before so I don't think it has to do with that but he was diagnoised with diabetis type II last week????
Answers: My fiance has been having this terrible cough that wakes him up at night? He doesn't have anything else wrong with him, no pressure, no headache, etc. He only coughs when he lays down for bed at night and it wakes him up through the night, it's only a dry cough, nothing coming up and his throat is beginning to bother him but he says that has came from coughing so much. Any ideas what this could be? Thanks. Oh, by the way he is an ex-smoker (has been quit over a year now) and this has never happened before so I don't think it has to do with that but he was diagnoised with diabetis type II last week????
Some of the meds we take with diabetes do have the little warning in the side effects column of they may cause dry cough. But you say he was only diagnosed last week, so it shouldn't have gotten too bad that fast.
I would definitely talk to the doctor about that. All of us smokers/former smokers have the problem that we will eventually get COPD so my doctor informs me. No matter how long we have been quit.
I use lemon euclyptus cough drops for the dry throat problem. Yes, they have a little sugar in them, but I think the cough causes more stress than the little bit of sugar does.
I recommend you or he go get a book called "Type 2 Diabetes: The First Year" and read it. Should be available through your bookstore. Also another good one is "Atkins Diabetes Revolution".
These 2 books have saved me loads of phone calls to my doctors since I discovered them. They answer questions you haven't even thought of yet.
The cough and diabetes don't have anything significant in common, apart from the fact that infections take longer to heal when you have high blood glucose levels. The glucose feeds the bacteria and they flourish. If not bacteria related, it might be a nasty post nasal drip. Get the diabetes sorted out and you'll be on a healthier track.