Question: Hi there!
I have a similar case to some here but with some differences. I am a non-smoker, I do not drink and I exercise very regularly (jogging). I have a naturally deep voice but my voice has gone from a smooth baritone to a very rough and croaky one as a result of the experience I am describing below. I no longer feel confident singing anymore, an activity I used to enjoy so much.

I travelled from a temperate to a tropical one in 2014 and when I returned, I had a bout of cold and severe dry coughing with a little of phlegm production. It was quite chesty, intense and kept me awake for nights with a headache. This, in previous normal experiences for me, would be clear after about two weeks, barring the dryness, sleepless nights and headache, until the next bout. The usual experience would be triggered by dust or extremely cold weather. I am not naturally prone to flu.

As of today, I am still coughing from that singular experience. It gets worse in very cold weathers (winters) and when exposed to lots of dust/ any astringents. I have been for a series of appointments at the GP and I have been for blood tests, Barium swallow test to rule out acid reflux, larynx inspection with a scope and breath analysis (with exhaler measuring kit) to rule out Asthma. All these have been to no avail as I kept experiencing intermittent coughing akin to a smoker's (2 - 4 times/ hr and worse on very cold days). I also get very easily winded when I do a small burst of running, like trying to catch a bus. I can also no longer play football like I used to, as a result.

I have a constant feeling of a dry and highly sensitive patch on the left side of my throat, towards the beginning of the windpipe. I have a sensation of the area when I move my tongue back and forth. I often react with intense coughing when the area comes in contact with spicy food or extremes of temperature. The area also becomes very itchy in cold weathers, when I go jogging and sends me into a bout of serious coughing with little or no phlegm produced. The inspection I went for yielded to visible observation in the cells around the area, but I am still coughing.

I am often on teleconferences and webinars and I will be the one coughing all through, interrupting the proceedings and recordings. What can be made of all of these, please? I will like to stop the intermittent coughing, regain my former voice and stamina.