Hello Roberta and thanks for posting.

I'm sorry to read about your situation. A persistent or worsening cough can have a number of medical explanations such as respiratory problems like asthma, lung infection or even lung cancer. As these symptoms can overlap, it's not always easy even for health professionals to say specifically what is causing them.

After a lung biopsy and partial lung collapse, it's not unusual to have a nagging tickly cough. This might be due to irritation in your airways, scarring, fluid build up or inflammation as your lung heals.

The choking feeling and how it's affecting your sleep must be distressing. Do let your lung team or GP know about this and explain that the cough has changed since you've been home and see what their advice is. They can prescribe a cough linctus or suppressant that should hopefully help.

In the meantime, if you are coughing up lots of secretions then it may help to increase your fluid intake which may make it easier to loosen any secretions making it easier to cough them up. Try to increase your fluid intake preferably with water. You should aim to drink around 6 – 8 glasses of water a day. Drinking warm honey and water and sucking on sweets or lozenges can also help.

You can try breathing in steam from hot water. You can also try inhaling steam or breathing in salt water (saline) through a small machine called a nebuliser . The machine turns the saline into a fine mist, so you can breathe it deeply into your lungs. Sitting in an upright position with extra pillows might reduce the irritation in your airways.

I hope this has been of some use. Please get back to us if you need any more information or support. You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Kind regards,

Celene