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Hello, my mother is 77 and will be 78 in May. She is still mobile and mentally stable. She has horrid anxiety, but still can do all ADL by herself. My question is she coughs so bad at night. This has been going on for two years to the point it keeps her awake. She can't sleep but about two hours at night. She does not smoke. She went to the doctor and was cleared of any UTI but she is horrified at the thought of getting any tests (the doctor suggested a urologist and she kind of flipped).

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Does mom have allergies to the dogs by chance, Doggie Mom? This is also a possibility to consider.
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DoggieMom86 Dec 11, 2024
I suppose it's possible although they are short fur. We owned cats in the past and she was fine. She had allergies with my brother though who is dogless
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She does take antacids and has heartburn. I will see if I can get her to go. She's having problems with needing to pee a lot lately. I know, old age is not a great ride. My mother has been an anxious Nelly her whole dang life and it rubbed off on me. I'm taking steps to not be that way as I hate the pessimism. She's super sensitive to smells now as she thinks I stink to the point I can't sit in her bed or chair and she cleans excessively.

I think she might have some sleep disorder. I will make suggestions folks. I love Mom a lot and am more fortunate than others that she can do a lot. She does get really bad back pain after being up about four hours though.
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Well of course a chest xray is indicated here, but the fact this happens at night when lying flat leads me to ask if there is any GERD here for her? Does she have reflux? Often a cough when laying flat and GERD problems are interconnected.

You may not be surprised to know that this nighttime cough thing isn't unusual in later years, and sometimes without a diagnosis, but you do want to rule out things that are treatable, like CHF which can come also with laying flat and some fluid problems. Is she at all SOB when walking distances now?

She does need to be diagnosed. You really cannot afford to get yourself all wound up in the whole "illness journey " of someone again, DoggieMom. And I would highly suggest that you rethink living with mom. This will lead to that, and it never ends, only worsens.
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DoggieMom86 Dec 10, 2024
Alva, I'm not going to stay with Mom long term. I am moving out on my own in June. My mother has flat out told me she refuses for me or my brother to care for her if she gets to where she needs full time care. She wants me to have my own life. I am hopeful that might be a ways off where she would need full time care. She still cooks, bathes, good memory so aim hopeful it is either something simple. Mom is looking into senior living which I know she's enjoy a lot.
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DoggieMom86, for myself (also 78) whenever I start coughing at night, it is usually from something I had eaten during the day that had too much acid, such as tomatoes. I found eating 2 Tums just before bedtime helped me. Best to check with your Mom's doctor first.
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Possibly allergies. Try giving her a Claritin or Benadryl tablet before bedtime and see if the coughing improves. If nothing improves, at least you've ruled out the simplest explanation.

About her constant anxiety - anxiety is needless, unproductive suffering. Hope she'll agree to see her physician to get a RX for a anti-anxiety medication. Once this RX kicks in she should be more agreeable about medical testing.
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freqflyer Dec 10, 2024
Be careful about Benadryl, multiple studies have found a link between long-term use of Benadryl (diphenhydramine) and an increased risk of dementia.
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get her a Ventalin Inhaler that May help her breathe In the Middle of the Night .
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lealonnie1 Dec 10, 2024
No Ventolin inhaler will be prescribed w/o an office visit and evidence of asthma or need for albuterol!
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Maybe cough variant asthma. There is also a non typical mycoplasma pneumonia going around that doesn’t act like a normal pneumonia.

I have cough variant asthma and before I was diagnosed, it would act up at night.
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If your mom is so afraid of medical tests and taking meds to help her anxiety that she's willing to stay up all night coughing for 2 YEARS, she's far from mentally stable I'm afraid. A rationally thinking person cannot live like that DM, and would want relief.

She's in need of medical attention, anxiety meds and a mental health professional at this point in her life. You can lead a horse to water.......
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DoggieMom86 Dec 10, 2024
I agree that anxiety wise and OCD wise she needs help big time. She cleans more than the norm to the point t of scrubbing the toilet for over an hour if she's had a BM. She throws out underwear vs say washing them
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GERD perhaps or postnasal drip, both can be helped by raising the head of the bed slightly.
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lealonnie1 Dec 10, 2024
I have fierce post nasal drip and GERD and do not cough at night. A nasal decongestant fixes the issue, btw. Prilosec and diet change helps GERD, but raising the head of the bead is a good idea anyway.
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Okay well I meant mentally stable as far as not having dementia symptoms or memory issues. I have tried to encourage her on the meds esp. for anxiety and OCD and no go there. I told her she needs some meds to help so she can sleep to.
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If she has horrid anxiety and is horrified about going to the doctor and having tests, and flipped out about seeing a urologist, she isn’t mentally stable. So let’s leave that bit of denial behind and figure out where to go from there.

Is her lack of sleep from the cough ramping up her anxiety or causing it? Have you discussed anti anxiety meds with her doctors? Have you tried raising the head of her bed?

Have a serious talk with her doctor and discuss options.
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