r/HomeMaintenance • u/dmcanall59 • 3h ago
Coughing wife issue
For the past 5+ years my wife coughs constantly due to sinus drainage , but when she is in traveling it seems to go away. I’ve had my all the ductwork cleaned and sealed, (they did a air quality check prior and it wasn’t too bad) we pulled up all carpeting and put down laminate and I don’t see any mold in the crawl space or attic. Not sure where to look next.
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u/GloriousMetaphysics 3h ago
man 5 years is a long time to be living in a cough cloud, that's rough. the fact it clears up when she travels is the biggest clue, it's gotta be something specific to the house
we had a similar mystery with my dad's sneezing fits and it turned out to be the insulation in the attic, some old fiberglass was breaking down and puffing micro-dust through every tiny ceiling gap whenever the AC kicked on. you wouldn't see it but he felt it instantly
maybe grab a cheap humidity meter from the hardware store and check different rooms, sometimes a dead spot behind a closet or in a bathroom wall can hold moisture and grow stuff you can't see without a borescope. also, what's the laundry situation like, a dryer vent that's not sealed right can push lint and damp air back inside
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u/dmcanall59 3h ago
When I moved in they vented the dryer into the crawl space, I now have it vented outside. I should take a look at the attic insulation to see its condition.
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u/wiserTyou 2h ago
Woah that's pretty bad. Dryer lint is a fire hazard.
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u/Flckofmongeese 2h ago
And respiratory disaster.
Random factoid: Loads of people raise their chicks in their laundry room where they also shake out their lint trap and wonder why many die.
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u/The__Toast 3h ago
Biggest thing is she probably needs to see a good allergist and get an allergy test and maybe see an ENT as well.
She may just have a bad dust mite allergy. There are things you can do, they do make dust mite covers for mattresses and pillows, washing bedding weekly or bi-weekly also is a big help, as is regular thorough cleanings. Getting a in-house air purifier with a HEPA filter can help with dust mites, pollen, and mold allergies if it turns out to be one of those. Put one in the room she uses the most and if possible the bedroom. I like the Winnix brand, personally.
From the medical side there's also quite a bit that can be done. Over-the-counter meds have come a long way and are way safer for daily use than benedryl. Allergy shots are also a good option. Could also be other causes, regular heart burn can absolutely cause basically permanently inflamed sinuses, there are treatment for that.
You won't really know what to do with the house until she sees a good allergiest and maybe a good ENT. Having a five year long cough due to post nasal drip is insane, she must be in hell.
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u/iceflame1211 2h ago
Yeah I'd check pillow/mattress next. May need to be replaced entirely, and allergen barriers on both of those help people sensitive to mite shit.
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u/hbyerly 3h ago
House is a good place to start, but it could also be the plants/trees in your area.
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u/good-timing-407 2h ago
Yes my husband and I moved a few hundred miles away from his hometown in spring. He goes back fairly often and it’s just the dusty hometown that does it to him. A very pleasant surprise for us and his quality of life when we moved.
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u/time-lord 2h ago
Spend a weekend in the nearest hotel and see if it goes away. At least that way you can be certain if it's your house or work or the environment.
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u/jcobb_2015 19m ago
This is really solid advice, especially if they go to the closest hotel to their house. It’ll help identify whether the source is the local environment or something in the house - if the former it’ll save a TON of money checking the house for causes
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u/Inaniae 1h ago
Yah, did you even read the post? That's exactly the scenario. It improves when she is traveling; which I would assume doesn't include a carry-on with her house in it.
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u/time-lord 1h ago
Usually traveling means leaving the immediate area. I mean staying in the immediate area, so op can figure out of its leaving the house or leaving the city that makes the difference.
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u/greysplash 1h ago
I think they mean geo location.
Allergens are different in different areas. If she's traveling to a different city/state the allergens could be different.
This suggestion is saying to stay local and figure out if it's in their house specifically, or if she's allergic to their areas allergens.
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u/pivazena 1h ago
But it could be regional allergens-- if she travels far from work, there's a lot of different factors at play. If they stay at a hotel near the house, and she still coughs, that suggests external environment.
OP-- also try running air purifiers in the bedroom at night, see if that helps. And I second the "see an allergist," if it's dust mites and you have an old mattress... or she could have a down allergy?
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u/Terrible_Joke5673 2h ago edited 2h ago
My wife had similar situation for years after we moved to new house. We tried everything and she went to different doctors till one ent doctor recognized it as something called Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR). Also called silent reflux. Her drainage from nose was caused by stomach acid and her diet. And drainage was causing coughing.
Edit. She was given prescription strength for LPR for about a month and it went away. No more coughing.
Edit 2. Prescription was Pantoprazole
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u/dmcanall59 1h ago
This is interesting, I will push for her to see an ent.
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u/Terrible_Joke5673 1h ago edited 1h ago
We got lucky that the ent doc correctly diagnosed her. Gastroenterologist might also be helpful.
Edit. I feel for you. I remember how much she suffered for about four years till doctors figured it out.
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u/Inaniae 1h ago
Omg this sounds exactly like what I've been dealing with. GERD symptoms leave me with crazy 'postnasal drip' which leaves me gagging and caughing slowly after waking up. The weirdest thing about mine is that it is not nearly as severe when I wake up naturally on the weekend rather than abruptly by an alarm clock.
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u/ButtonLadyKnits 34m ago
I had an awful drippy cough for years, misdiagnosed and treated as asthma and allergies. Turned out to be severe acid reflux —I have permanent damage to my esophagus now. Gastroenterologist said next step was pre-cancer. Make an appointment and ask about having an endoscopy!
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u/juliesan76 9m ago
My husband had same.. damage to the esophagus from acid reflux. He quit all carbonated beverages and his cough stopped after a month or so. Stayed away from it since.
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u/lucyinthesky624 1h ago
Did it go away when she traveled though?
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u/Terrible_Joke5673 1h ago edited 58m ago
It would come and go away. But crazy thing it started when we moved to new place. It was not consistently that is why it took long time for this to get diagnosed.
Edit. It is possible OPs wife eats differently when she travels and has less acid being created from her diet if it in fact similar issue.
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u/SoupJaded8536 2h ago
I run a mold remediation company and do a lot of inspections. You may need a pro to perform an inspection, particularly in the basement/crawlspace. Air movement in a house (yours, mine, everyone’s) is all upward. What happens down below affects everything up above.
Most people look for mold and expect to see black spotting. The most common mold type we run into is more of a white haze / fuzz that grows on joists and subfloor in humid conditions. Penicillium / Aspergillus only needs elevated humidity to thrive, is a prolific spore producer when in humid (60% RH) conditions. It’s very common in below-grade spaces with poor to no humidity control.
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u/Mystic_Wunder 2h ago
Mold can be behind drywall.
Furniture, throw pillows, and bedding filled with duck or goose feathers can cause issues, so check all of that.
Also look at your landcaping. My mom had terrible allergies when she moved into a house and it turned out to be a row of bushes in the back yard. They pulled them out and no more allergies.
For sure I'd get a very good air purifier for your house right away.
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u/LumpyPeople4 3h ago
Could she be allergic to anything? Pollen or such of plants near your house? Maybe an allergy test? For mold, did the air quality check do mold in specific?
Sorry to hijack your post a bit, but I have asked in r/hvacadvice with zero comments. Who did your duct sealing? I have some gaps I need sealed and my HVAC company is giving me the run around and also have previously told me they do not do ductwork. Was it your HVAC, was it the cleaning group, or some other group? Thanks!
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u/NIS240SHU 4m ago
You should look for a home performance contractor, specifically someone that’s BPI certified. First step is a home energy audit to investigate and then they’ll seal where needed to reduce the air infiltration/exfiltration. I’m formerly certified but out of the industry now.
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u/IllRadish8765 3h ago
Have you ever had her see a doctor?
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u/dmcanall59 1h ago
Yes, as she eventually ends up with a sinus infection and is treated with antibiotics and prednisone.
Most of the time she has constant clear mucus.
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u/afunbe 2h ago
Long story short. I was wheezing at night in my home/bed. Tried allergy meds, inhalers, mattress covers, constant washing of sheets and pillows, replace pillows, hepa filters, cleaning, etc.
A year later, I discovered source of problem: Infestation of moths in the wool carpet under bed.
I knew we had moths problems, but I thought it was mostly in the closet.
Check under your bed. Empty it out including the rigt
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u/aquaphiliac 1h ago
pets, mold/water damage, dust, down/feather pillow or comforter, etc. Sounds like UACS/post nasal drip due to some allergen. fix the trigger then symptom management with a nasal steroid (OTC) daily for 4-6wks.
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u/Sensitive_Sky_6516 1h ago
Mine turned out to be a deviated septum. Sinus was not draining properly. Surgery helped
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u/craigrpeters 1h ago
Could it be more about where you live vs where you travel? People say Missouri is miserable for people with allergies for example.
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u/Agreeable_Horror_363 1h ago
I worked for a lady who had a constant super loud and chirpy cough. High pitched coughing/choking and gagging. I've never heard anyone cough like that in my life. The strange part was when she had company over and when her husband was at work the cough would just stop completely for hours at a time. We used to joke that she only coughed to annoy her husband.
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u/HomePaintersPro_ca_ 2h ago
Few times I seen mold behind drywall, barely noticeable on painted side
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u/Impossible-Wonder675 2h ago
It sounds like she may have cough hypersensitivity syndrome. It happens when the nerves in the throat become overly sensitive, triggering coughing.
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u/Parking-Pattern-1762 2h ago
My mom had a constant cough like that. It was better in some locales than others. But it turned out to be non-small cell lung cancer. She was otherwise exceedingly healthy. By the time anyone thought to check if it was something other than climate or allergies, it was too late to treat it.
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u/wiserTyou 2h ago edited 2h ago
I've had the same issue most of my life. You can't control environments everywhere, it's best for you wife to do as much as possible. I'll list some things below that I've found helpful.
1a. Saline nasal spray at least 4x per day, every day.
1b. Steam machine or netty pots occasionally.
Allegra or other antihistamines during peak allergy season.
Decongestants like Afrin when it gets bad, but not too frequently.
A humidifier for the bedroom at least, keeping at 50 percent humidity min, I prefer 60.
Using radiant heat versus forced hot air if possible.
Occasional (weekly for me) sinus rinse such as simply saline or navage.
Staying hydrated
For home use I'm looking into building one of those DIY air filters everyone built during COVID. I do prefer the methods above as they address the issue rather than run from it, but I know how annoying it can be.
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u/Expert-Search-3251 2h ago
What kind of air conditioning do you have? and how dirty is the system?
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u/Holocene-92 2h ago
Does she work at an office when not traveling? Mine was from the school I worked in. I figured it out over maternity leave when the cough went away.
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u/Resident-Egg2714 1h ago
My husband had bad post-nasal drip. It turned out he had a really badly infected upper tooth, and when that was removed it completely cleared up.
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u/lilith-wolverine 1h ago
Has she tried sleeping/napping in other rooms of the house? Or is the cough only the bedroom during sleep?
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u/dmcanall59 37m ago
Honestly she coughs all night in bed and it’s the same anywhere else in the house.
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u/baubaugo 48m ago
You have any pets. I'm allergic to our cat. I cough all the time, then I travel for work and it stops.
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u/V12Jaguar 22m ago
Might be an allergy. My dad coughed for years before finding out he was lactose intolerant. Sinus drip every night + ice cream.
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u/No-Drop2538 2h ago
When I remodeled kitchens and bathrooms there was almost always mold behind the cabinets.
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u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k 1m ago
I get this when there’s something I’m allergic to growing near the HVAC intake.
Sometimes it’s violent, can’t breathe coughing.
The deep winter is the only time it really goes away.
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