I know this might sound strange....but do you clean your ears too often? There's a nerve in your ear canal, close to the surface, and if it gets irritated by cleaning your ears too much, you can get a cough from it. It happened to me.

catherine, I've been dealing with this cough for so long, nothing sounds strange..LOL
But I don't clean my ears too often so I doubt if that would be it...thanks so much for the information, though.

My son has had 'hypersensitive' cough since childhood but got rid of it -for good- with acupuncture and Chinese pharmacopia, through my acupuncturist.
Of course, a healthy regimen and dust-free environment doesn't hurt!

We also have two cats (have always had at least 2 in the house) and for a long time attributed his cough to that but tests revealed no allergy to them, thank God!

clairabelle, I am so glad to hear your son got relief through an acupuncturist as that is what I was thinking of trying. My granddaughter has been going to one for female problems and has received immense relief from her problems.
Over the years, I have had every allergy test imaginable (some more than once), CT scans, esophagus xrays, scopes. They have given me, I think, every allergy med known to man to try...LOL...with no relief. When it is at its worst, I just don't go to any social function as it is embarrassing to cough and cough.
Thanks so much for sharing your son's good response to accupuncture..I think I will give it a try.

gma......do you think its possible that its a tic? I'm not discounting your problem as real, because I know it is. But sometimes we need to change our approach to things. I'm wondering, since you've had so many tests, if something like a light dose of an antidepressant might work. The brain is very, very complex.
I have this thing where I hear small sounds in the distance, and they drive me crazy. Since I've been on Zoloft, I don't notice them. Well, I notice them, but I don't go crazy from them.
Sometimes that can work on repetitive physical things too.
good luck to you!

I and the doctors have talked about a tic and decided that was not the case. I am taking 100 mg of zoloft a day. Has the sounds you hear been diagnosed as tinnitus? I have that also.
Thanks so much for your suggestions. I really think I will try accupuncture first now and see what happens. I am an upbeat person so I don't dwell on letting these things spoil my life, but if I can find some relief, it would be such a blessing.