View Full Version : An Atrocious Cough
My body is so weird. I live with pain and funkiness all the time, so it's hard to know what's what.
I have fibromyalgia and severe osteoarthritis. The fibro makes me crazy with funky revolving pain/problems. Anyhow, 9 days ago I got a cold, for the first time in about 20 years. Not bad, low fever 1 day only. But soon I had horrible expiratory wheezing and coughing. Couldn't see my doctor soon, so I went to the E.R., thinking I might have pneumonia (since these were the symptoms 22 years ago). The chest xray was normal. I've been taking mucinex round the clock. The very expensive inhaler the P.A. ordered does nothing.
I know coughs can take a long time to go away, but has anyone had ridiculous expiratory wheezing and coughing that feels like it will blow out your brains? There are times at night when the noise coming out of my lungs wakes me. And I haven't been able to use my cpap.
DH says it's "just" a cold and will take time to leave. I've never had this problem, while not feeling terribly bad or stuffy, and no fever.
I was going to get some Robitussin DM yesterday and decided to wait. It seems whenever I finally make a move to do something in the past, it starts improving.......so I'm waiting. Drinking tons of water.......which immediately passes out of my body. Doesn't seem to help at all.
Any "natural" suggestions?
Steam with thyme essential oil. Boil some water and put a couple of drops of essential oil on the surface- don't use more as this particular oil is really strong. Breathe in the steam several times a day, I alternate between breathing through my nose, and breathing through my mouth to make sure I have all the pathways covered. Thyme is a strong anti-bacterial and anti-viral. Thyme is also an expectorant. Also, I have found that thumping on my chest also helps when there is something in my lungs that needs to be broken up (doesn't do anything for dry coughs, just wet ones).
I like zinc and saltwater (inhaled and gargled) when I have the beginnings of one--I've been able to stop them in the early stages for the past several years. I associate fevers more with flu, and I won't take NSAIDS if I have one.
I'm generally on the "let it run its course" side of this issue, as you might imagine. I might breathe eucalyptus vapor (mostly because I love the smell of it) and I'd definitely indulge myself with soup full of good hearty stock, garlic, and onions.
Thanks herbgeek and Jane.
I've wondered if thumping would help too. When I worked in the hospital, that's what the respiratory therapists would do to people after a breathing treatment......but on their backs. But I can't thump my back. haha But I have considered patting the chest.
I've been drinking lots of O.J. and taking at least 50gm of Zinc a day.
I'm ashamed to say I keep forgetting to get out the humidifiers........which would probably help more with preventing colds. I knew an anesthesiologist once who said his whole family had one cold after another, until they had a whole house humidifier put on their furnace, then all the colds went away.
I can't tell if my lung/bronchial tissues are just swollen, or if I have phlegm that needs broken up. Both of them sound the same.
Yeah, I'm careful when I have a fever to not take a fever-lowering med (if it's not too high), 'cause I think the body uses that to help fry the bad guys.
DH got a cold shortly after me, but his left in a couple days. Not fair. haha
Herbgeek........do you just lean over the pot or do you also put a towel over your head too? I'll look for some thyme oil.
Jane.......I've been eating healthily (unfortunately, nothing stops my appetite!), but like I said, about 1-2 hours afterwards, my wheezing and coughing worsens so much. It's sort of weird. So now I'm a little hesitant to eat.....But I'll be brave. :~)
Thanks you two!
Herbgeek........do you just lean over the pot or do you also put a towel over your head too?
Depends on how hot the water is. If it just came off of boiling, no towel. If its less hot, then yes. I don't want to scald my tissues.
The sugar in OJ might be problematic--sugar has been shown to inhibit the immune system. You could, however, slip some bell peppers into your soup for vitamin C.
You can get percussive massage units--mechanical or electric--to thump your back.
I have not had a cold now for many years but recall that it always took a long time to get over the cough part. I just signed up to volunteer at an elementary school and am having second thoughts when I think about what a germ factory it will be. Our go-to for any feel bad days is hot ginger tea with lemon and honey (with fresh ginger). My mom, a pharmacist, used to tell me that many OTC cold things can have a relapse effect, ie the Mucinex possibly.
Jane......after I posted that, I thought about the sugar. Yeah, you're probably right. I cut the acidity down by adding some carrot juice....but that has lots of natural sugars too, right?
pinkytoe......you just reminded me that when our kids were little and in elementary school, we were constantly getting sick! DD teaches french horn at several schools and her colds have picked up too. Those little kids are petri dishes, for sure!
You know.......I was wondering that about the Mucinex. I quit it one day but worried that I'd done the wrong thing and started it back up. But.....I'm willing to quit it again. It seems like it can't get any worse........... (knock on wood!)
3 separate colds this summer. 1 day mild fever, 7-10 days of rough feeling and 3 weeks of cough for each. Last one, I think I pulled a muscle on my rib area just this weekend from the amount of coughing and was in so much radiated pain I was crying.
I could not get in touch with my doctor so just went in and cried to see her. Was going to Urgent Care across the street if she was busy. She saw me and said I was not dying. Big issue was constant drainage from nose into lungs. Fosomax to help the sinus cavity, OTC pain reliever, Zertec to maybe help with allergy symptoms, up the asthma medicine. Also recommended was saline solution spray for nose to clean it out. It all helped.
Oh, we have used a generic cough medicine when it just gets way too bad. Cough drops are all around the house.
I better not get this again this year.
I guess I'm a wimp, because when I had lots of colds in germ, I mean elementary school I got cough syrup with codeine so I could sleep at night and not constantly disrupt the class during the day.
CathyA,
is it possible you have some acid reflux too? when you mentioned the coughing spells 1-2 hours after eating it makes me think something's not right with that area. Ask me how I know ...:(
I just finished my 3rd cold this year, but fortunately no fever. I used Robitussin Severe cough and Sore throat, and that worked well for me especially in being able to sleep at night.
You have my sympathies!
One of the best natural cough treatments I can recall was a warm syrupy mix of honey, ginger, and lemon juice. A friend brought it by, so I really don't know the exact portions, but it was very soothing and helped the cough. It probably wouldn't be hard to come up with something similar. I get a cold every couple of years and usually resort to Robitussin.
Edit to add, here in our dry climate I run a humidifier in the house most of the winter, but especially when I have any hint of sinus problems or sore throat. I can get lucky and avoid a cold some winters, but routinely have sinus problems and infections. I use a steam inhaler a couple of times a day to treat the sinus issues.
Cathy, I just woke up my husband with a horrendous wet coughing fit. I came down with a cold on Monday. My sinuses felt like someone superglued them. Nothing was getting out and I had headaches. Flying was absolutely horrendous--it took two days for my ears to pop. Then my sinuses kind of broke loose and I've been hacking and wheezing and bringing up nasty stuff since then.
I, too, get rare colds. Maybe it's something going around. I'm in Vermont this weekend attending the house inspection, and I am worried about staying at my son's house--my DIL is pregnant and the last thing I want to do is give her this nasty cold.
Anyway, I'm on day 5 of my cold, so we'll see what happens. Hope yours gets better soon. I'm just taking Dayquil.
Sad Eyed Lady
12-8-17, 10:50am
Me too. I am one of those people used to say "I am never sick". But in the last couple of years or so that has changed. I got this coughing/lung thing this week and it is horrible. I have run a temp near 100, either a bit below or a bit above, and just feel yucky in general. The last couple of days I have stayed in an tried to rest, but today I am going to have to venture our and get a few things. Particularly honey and lemon. I only had a little honey and used that, and I have not had a lemon to put in it. I have been putting cinnamon on a spoonful of honey however. If I could see improvement, a light at the of the tunnel that would be encouraging, but so far it has stayed about the same. I don't want to go to the doctor if I don't have to, don't want to take an antibiotic if I don't need it and I SURE don't want to be swabbed for flu!
Not cold related but I have a stupid cough related to one of my blood pressure meds. So aggravating. Its one of the side effects. The alternatives have worse side effects like headaches so I'm back on my cough medicine as I call it. That commercial that says something about "knowing the truth about that 'just a cough' cough" drives me batty! Yes, this one is just a cough. I do hope you get over your real cough soon!
Float On......can you be on something like Toprol? I don't think that causes coughing. I'm on a smidgen of it for blood pressure, but it also took away my migraines.
Teacher Terry
12-8-17, 1:37pm
Topral was the first bp med the doctor put me on. I was only 50 and in great shape. Soon I couldn't walk around our work building without getting winded and people could hear me breathe. I went to a pulmonary doctor and after some tests said when I walked my oxygen level was going very low which can be a side effect. Add to that I had asthma and that med was a no go for me.
No CathyA, not Toprol, that one actually caused migraines for me. I don't have my list with me and I always misspell meds.
Hmmm....that's interesting Teacher Terry. sounds like maybe it was lowering your heart rate too much?
And Float On.......how curious that it caused migraines in you.
My BP has been fine for years, but I've stayed on the Toprol (well, metoprolol.....the generic), because I always had spells of feeling very hypoglycemic, and like I was going to pass out..........and all those went away on the metoprolol.
I would love to try getting off that and my tiny dose of sertraline (zoloft), but I've been on them so long, I fear it would get ugly. But who knows........maybe I'd eventually feel better off them!
Well, I decided to stop the Mucinex and see if it was actually making me too dry, since I seem to not hold in water very long. So Pinkytoe, I appreciate your input. I don't know if it's just that, or I'm slowly improving, but things are loosening up a bit. I actually had a good night's sleep......even without my cpap. I found that taking an 8 hour tylenol and just a smidgen of xanax seems to give me the best sleep. But who knows. It may all be coincidental. I have to say, it's wonderful not using that cpap though. But I can't go without it too long, or I'll have insurance issues....
Anyhow.....something funny this morning. I got up early before the sun came up and worked on my puzzle. I had to change the puzzle table location last week because of the christmas tree, so now I'm in a corner in the dining room with windows in front and to the side of me........which is great light for puzzling. I might just leave it there. Anyhow, sometimes around this time, birds start to wake up. I kept hearing a tweet..........tweet............tweet........tweet . Was it a wren? a sparrow? I couldn't see one. Finally figured out it was coming from my lungs. hahahaha Every inspiration was making a tweet noise. Then a little later I thought I heard some kind of animal on the porch.........come to find out it was my stomach growling. hahahaha What can I say..........I'm very musical this morning. :~)
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