TubeNet

Since my open heart surgery my cough reflex has been overactive. I feel the need to cough most of the time. Any thoughts or experience on this issue?
ThnkZ!

You're experiencing some throat damage from the breathing tube they shoved down your throat during surgery.
See if you can find a SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) who specializes in post-surgical rehab. In the mean time, try not to eat too many hard things - your swallowing is probably not as good as it was before surgery.

Resouce for this response - My sister is a SLP who does this in Greenville, SC. She graduated from med school at ECU (NC) a few years ago and worked at the Greenville hospital doing nothing but post-surgical rehab for a while. I've heard way too many stories and never ever figured they'd come in handy.

Also make sure you've talked to your cardiac doc about this. If he/she doesn't have a recommendation for who to talk to, make sure you report back so they know how to help the next patient who has to deal with this.

Another potential cause of such a cough is a class of anti-hypertensive medication called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.

I would recommend that you sort through the potential causes with your personal physician. They are likely to be much more helpful than we of the 'TubeNet Freak Jury' can be.