Cough or Habit
Question
Dr. Mike,
I have a question concerning myself, I’m 16 years old and i have had this cough for over a year, maybe even longer. Sometimes its more of a cough, but sometimes I just cough gently by jerking my stomach in and just blowing out my nose. I’ve been to the docters twice, and I’ve tried using Pulmacort (i might have spelt that wrong-its a type of an inhailer but you just breathe in through the tube instead), but that doesn’t seem to work. My parents have thought that it might just be a habit of some sort, but I feel like I have to cough all the time, and I dont even have any flu or cold-like symptoms. I do have sports induced asthma, but I have an inhaler for that. I also cough up flem sometimes when I wake up, or just during the day…but its not too often. If you have any advice for me could you please let me know?? Thanks a lot!-Whitney
Answer
Hi Whitney,
There’s is a very easy way to find out if you have any lung type problems or asthma for that matter, but maybe your doctor has already ordered these tests on you.
A chest xray helps make sure that your lungs look good. A pulmonary function test is a test where you breathe into a machine, and a calculation of your lungs can determine if they are working okay.
