When the nurse who does allergy shots realized I’d been coughing for a month and didn’t expect it to go away until end of May or beginning of June she insisted I make an appointment with the allergist. Having been to the GP a few times seeking help with this issue, I didn’t really hold out much hope of help but I did realize the allergist might be in a better position to figure out what does seem to be an allergy related problem. They were booked solid through the end of May but squeezed me in anyway. Doc looked me over and told me a bunch of things I already knew- we are doing fairly well controlling allergies as far as sinus passageways etc. and I am not sick with anything bacterial or viral. Then he told me something new. He reckons I have cough-variant asthma. One of my complaints this time of year is that my lungs feel itchy. I never have tightness or wheezing so I never suspected asthma but that’s indeed very likely my problem. He gave me this inhaler to try out. My fingers are crossed that this will do the trick and my days and nights of hacking like a smoker will soon be numbered. We’ll know within the week.