Amy:
I developed a dry cough about 2weeks after surgery that has not gone away. I have had it for 2 months now. I have had no viral infections. Just one short head cold that never got into my lung. I have noticed in the last couple of weeks that when I bend over, I go onto a coughing fit. I thought I might have acid reflux because of the bending over symptom, but I don't think so now. I have been taking protonix for almost a week now, and still notice the urge to cough. And, I have had no feeling of indigestion. I told my onc about it last week, and he prescibed codeine to suppress the cough relex and the protonix just in case I had acid reflux. The codeine seems to help a lot. I take 1 or 2 in a 24 hour period. The last time I saw my pulmonologist, about 2 months ago, he said that the coughing was probably due to my lung getting stretched which causes an irritation and thus the cough. I would think that the coughing should stop after 2 months, but who knows? My onc says he will ask his pulmonolgist friends about it.
If your mom's cough is lingering fromm the viral infection, I think she should check it out for bacterial infection as Connie said. I don't think there is any particular reason that having just one lung should cause her cough to linger. My cough is due more to mechanical reasons. I don't have any sort of infection.
Don M