fucking cough

Bastard.

Best way to sort a smokers cough is cough syrup.
Quitting wasn’t really an option

I've literally had a cough all year.

Nothing to worry about, sez my doctor.

This comes with the usual disclaimers. I have seen a GP etc ...

I'm in the 4th week of a cough, which has changed over time, something like:

Week 1: just seemed like a normal cough - perhaps a bit grimmer (Thinking about it, I was leaving a room to cough).
Week 2: cough and slept lots (up to 16 hours per day), sometimes a temperature.
Week 3/4: felt slightly better/generally okay in self compared to previous week. Still have a cough ... and it is more ridiculous. I'm coughing throughout the day a bit but once/twice per day I'm coughing to the point of vomiting and feel as if I'm close to not being able to breath (go very red, eyes are teary). I had thought this was meal related but actually in the last 24 hours it has been first thing in the morning and then a couple of hours after I'd gone to bed. The latest coughing fit scared the life out of me. Throughout the four weeks, my appetite has been low (lost half a stone).

Does that suggest anything obvious? GP has suggested virus and go back in three weeks.

Did the GP check your blood oxygen level?

Yeah, everything came up fine. Half wondering if it is Whooping Cough? Don't know how plausible that would be.

Doctor has gone with "Persistent Cough". Doesn't quite capture my gasping for air terror ...

even if you’re not asthmatic, a ventolin (albuterol sulfate) inhaler can be really helpful when you’re coughing to the point of gasping for air. maybe ask your doctor about it (or pharmacist if you live somewhere you can buy affordable ventolin without a prescription.) it’s worth a try

estela otm

Thanks both - I have to admit I can't imagine using an inhaler at the point of gasping - kind of coughing/puking catarrh while feeling like I can't breathe.

Sounds closer to mild pneumonia with its persistence :/

Hmm. It does feel as if it has set in. Amoxicillin doesn't seem to have touched it.

I would request a chest x-ray. I was also thinking bronchial infection but that can easily turn into pneumonia.

would only start to worry if this persists afters 6-7 weeks.

I also assume that they took a quick blood drop to see if you have an infection.

Thanks both.

I think I'm at week 5, maybe 6. Had chest x-ray on Friday. Haven't had bloods.

I have to be careful about getting any sort of cough because it always turns into bronchitis or some weird illness for me (I have asthma, so even sneezing too much will inflame my lungs). I rarely go to the doctor so when I know I am beyond sick (even though I seem totally fine on the outside, walking for miles and they don't hear anything in my lungs) and the doctor tries to brush it off, I always request that they take blood. And voila, I have an infection.

My last GP appointment was fucking horrible, going something like

"You've been to see us a lot about this, haven't you?"

"Yes - partly that's been around the timing of needing sick notes and partly because being unable to breathe, at points, has scared me."

"Go back to work. You can have some simple linctus. If you really want, come back in two weeks but we won't do anything differently."

At this appointment, I was ready for the conversation of "I don't think being off work is doing me any good, is it okay to go back?" but it was presented to me in such a "You're a malingerer" sort of way.

Two weeks later, I'm still coughing but have felt generally better in myself though just had a ridiculous pukey coughing fit after my nephew made me laugh (by being a wrong un').