sounds an awful lot like asthma to me. I’m the one laura referred to when she said I have eosinophilic esophagitis. I have had acid reflux for almost 22 years–and i often refused to take the PPIs–years ago a surgeon recommended i get surgery–and I didn’t want to (really stupid choice on my part) I have had to have my esophagus dilated 4 times, 3 times I have had shotzky’s rings. I went from having 15 eosinophils per high powered lens last year—to 80 this year. My esophagus now has raised rings around it and it also has furrows running down it. I also have atopic dermatitis–have had it since I was a very young girl. EE is connected to atopic problems–which are usually allergy problems. I had allergy testing done as a child, but was told I was allergic to nothing. I have developed allergies over the years. Because of the EE, I recently had food allergy skin prick testing done–but was told I was allergic to things i DON’T react to—I have also read that with my atopic skin—allergy skin prick testing is not always going to be accurate on me because my skin is so sensitive.
One thing I have noticed, as I have developed environmental allergies, is that there have been times when I cough only in the evening.
I wouldn’t even concern myself with a single cough during sleep—we probably all do that.
With EE, there is usually (but not always) 3 things—asthma, allegies, and eosinophilic esophagitis. And a history of atopy in the family will geneticallly predispose you to these conditions–but it’s not a guarantee of getting them.
My GI thinks my EEis secondary to the reflux I have had for so many years. I am now on 30 mgs of prevacid 2x a day (I hate taking it) If it does not make the eos clear up in about 2 months, I will have to take a steroid that I swallow to coat the esophagus. The doc is hoping to get my esophagus in as good a condition as possible—then I am going to have a fundoplication done.
Hope something in all that helped.
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