Does anyone have any information or experience of having blackouts during a coughing attack?

I'm very concerned about an uncle of mine (he is an ex-smoker and has been for about nearly a year) who has suspected bronchitis but it hasn't been confirmed and probably won't be until he sees a specialist. He has been experiencing blackouts when he coughs. His doctor (who can't interpret x-ray results....seriously i am not kidding!) has given him an inhaler which is quite pointless as he cannot use it whilst having a coughing fit so it doesn't prevent him from blacking out. Has anyone experienced what i have described or have any knowledge about it. I've been searching for information on the net but haven't found anything useful.

I used to suffer chronic bronchitis, and suffered this effect more than once. On on occasion I even passed out in the street and fell flat on my face. It's a simple matter of coughing all the air out of your lungs. I did a lot of deep breathing exercises, and took up singing (now my profession) and and have thankfully been untroubled for years. Maybe your uncle should be using the inhaler regularly, to reduce irritation/sensitivity rather than waiting for an attack. But I do recommend slow deep breaths to gradually strengthen the muscles that do the breathing and get lung capacity up to speed.

this happend to a friend of mine, after loads of tests they fitted him with a pacemaker......now he is fine.

probably needs to see a specialist, this is not right

I recently had a cold with cough and it gave me terrible headaches. never used to. must be an age thing. i think your uncle is supposed to use the inhaler often enough to keep the muscus in a more elastic form and therefore easier to cough up. with me it was the really hard coughing that bothered. come to think of it i do remember coming close to blacking out. so much so that if i started coughing when i was driving i had better prepare for that (slow way down).

unless your on drugs or drunk,then you really need to see a doctor.

my husband had a similar experience, its when u cough so much that the oxygen cant get to your brain and your bodies natural res ponce is to black out and so your breathing then returns to normal and so does your oxygen supply to the brain. that's how the doc explained it to us. id change my GP if i was him!!!

My husband did the same thing, he was diagnosed with cough variant asthsma .While this is not a quick acting inhaler it will help he uses advair.

My guess that he has COPD, Have his Dr recommend your dad to a pulmanologist.

'Maybe' he needs a fast acting inhaler like albuterol. But if he won't use it when he feels the attack coming on I don't know what to tell you.

Part of getting adjusted to COPD is knowing when you need an inhaler or oxygen or do some pursed lip breathing.

agree with byron above. i suffer with C.O.P.D. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, and used to pass out when having severe coughing bouts. have actually spent time in hospital through these symptoms as well . but unfortunately nothing much can be done about it as C.O.P.D. is a progressive illness and you have to learn to adjust your lifestyle and live with the symptoms