Living with Multiple Chronic Conditions

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I never had asthma, serious respiratory problems, or high blood pressure until 1994; before that my blood pressure was actually on the low side.  As I got older, and heavier, my blood pressure increased and I was able to manage that with medicine.  In 2006, however, I began to have intermittent coughing fits that would last a few days and over time, last for weeks.  I go for hours or days with no coughing and then, POW, I cough so long and hard I felt like my insides were coming out.  Back to the doctors I go.

I am seeing a wonderful and caring Pulmonologist who has done all the tests and is still unable to identify the exact cause of these coughing attacks.  I just finished an attack that lasted two weeks during which I was unable to do much more than lay on my couch or my bed, sometimes with my oxygen on so I could breathe easier.  I had to cancel all my plans, both my volunteer work and personal plans, and I reached a very high level of frustration.  The doctor finally prescribed Prednisone, which seemed to help rather quickly, but the coughing aggravated my back pain and wore me out completely.  I am feeling a little better now but it is only a matter of time until the coughing starts again; between the MS, chronic pain from my spine, chronic cellulites, high blood pressure, and now this coughing, I can’t help but wonder how I am going to live a productive and fulfilling life.  Not easily, that’s for sure.

It is bad enough having two chronic conditions, MS and Chronic Pain Syndrome from my spinal condition, and even worse to have several more that are a result of surgical intervention, such as cellulites and lymphedema.  But to have another chronic condition that is yet undiagnosed, unmanageable and unpreventable is the ultimate insult my body can throw at me.

My cough is in the upper part of my chest and in my throat, so maybe it is acid reflux. I am taking two kinds of medications for that but so far it isn’t affecting the cough.  My chest x-ray is normal, although I sound very bronchial when I cough.  My cough is very dry; I am not bringing up any phlegm, which would be a sign of infection.  I cough and cannot breathe at times, keeping my blood/oxygen quite low, usually between 84 and 89, which I believe adds to my exhaustion and makes my heart work harder.

I love a good mystery, it is my favorite type of book to read and I even wrote one when I first stopped working.  I never sent it out to be published; it was a learning experience.  I have had my share of health mysteries, however, and I am tired of not knowing why my body acts the way it does.  I know MS is very unpredictable and I have gotten used to my muscles jumping and my arms and legs flailing, but this cough affects my whole system and when I am having an episode that can last weeks, it is more disabling than almost anything else I am dealing with; after all breathing is the most important thing our body needs to do.