constantly coughing for three weeks, doctors no help, any idea

[jennyxx]

constantly been coughing now for three weeks all day and all night (awake every other hour coughing my guts up) to the point where I am choking and can't breath and my ribs are agony. I have seen the doctor once and rang twice asking if there is anything that can be done but he says it is just one of those viruses but surely not with no improvement in three weeks!

I don't feel ill other than this, no bad throat, no runny nose or any other flu like symptoms and I just seem to constantly cough and being up extreme amounts of very thick stick spit. I have not improved at all over the three weeks and I am beginning to think it is something else! Can anyone help me?

All I have been medicating myself with is hot honey and lemon drinks which really only help for a hour or so!

 

[pebbie1]

That's sounds horrible!
To me it sounds like you have an infection that you clearly can't get rid off. I'd see the GP again. Don't ring and ask advice, just make an appointment and go and see him and force him to sort it out for you.
Poor you, it must be so draining!
X

 

[MrsC10]

This sounds like whooping cough....look it up on Google. I've just got over whooping cough. It's awful. I really hope it's not that though x

 

[xdxxtx]

I don't know what it could be. I get horrible allergies, though, the present themselves similarly, since I'm allergic to everything. What I do is boost myself up with pillows or blankets at a nice angle, as close as possible to 45º from the belly up. I still lay on my side, though. That way, I'm not laying flat, and the mucus goes down instead of coming up. It might help - give it a shot while you're recovering from whatever this is.

 

[mummytokeelie]

hi i had this with my last pregnancy and after turned out it was asthma which pregnancy had flared up i would keep on at your doctors could be different for you but goes to show pregnancy can do strange things x

 

[torch2010]

me, my oh and my parents have had this recently. Mine lasted 4 weeks, my mum is still coughing 6 weeks later. We were all fully checked out and just had a horrible virus. Hope you are feeling better soon xx

 

[MustBeMummy]

Id go and make a nuisance of myself until I was seen. There has been an advert here saying if you have a cough for 3 weeks or more go see your gp. What's the point of that ad if when u do they say nothing! Blooming doctors. How can it be nothing? No one coughs for 3weeks for no reason.
You haven't given up smoking or anything have you?

 

[A1983]

The only thing that has ever worker for any persistant coughs I have had is a cough mixture called Pulmo Bailee-im from the UK and buy it from my tesco pharmacy....I was recommended it after spending WEEKS coughing and it is amazing! It was pre-pregnancy so you will have to see if ingredients are ok, it contains codeine which my Dr said is ok (plus it works so quickly you'll only need it for a few days). It tastes foul and you have to mix it with a drink such as juice x Hope this helps/you get some help from your GP

 

[A1983]

Sp* Pulmo Bailly

 

[MindUtopia]

I would make another appointment to see your doctor (or if you feel like he/she isn't taking you seriously, then to see another doctor). If you don't feel like you get any resolution from this, you might also just consider taking yourself to A&E if it's bad enough.

It's not unusual to have a lingering cough for 3 weeks if you have had an infection earlier. But the fact you are still coughing up mucus means there is likely still some infection in your lungs. If not taken care of, it can develop into pneumonia. I've had pneumonia quite a few times and certainly in my adult life, I rarely also felt 'sick' at the same time. It usually happened after I'd gotten an infection a month or two earlier, then I would get weeks of coughing, mucus and pain in my chest. The last time I was in hospital and both recent times I was sick on and off for about 6 months as a result, so it's not something to be taken lightly (and your doctor should know better).

I would highly recommend starting to take mucinex (just the regular plain mucinex, not the kind with the decongestant in it). It's safe in pregnancy and will help to clear out your lungs. It basically thins the mucus so it comes out easier and you can stop coughing. You're only coughing because of the mucus irritating the lining of your bronchia, so if you can clear that up, the coughing will go away. I'd try this for several days and see if you get any improvement and if not, see your doctor again.

Hope you feel better again soon!

 

[annio84]

When you saw the doctor did he listen to your chest? I had a similar thing the other month and it was just a virus. Viral coughs do linger. It is also possible to be coughing up mucous from high up but not have a bacterial infection.

My advice would be to see your doctor again, or another in the practice if that's possible and you're unhappy with what the original doctor said. Tell them your concerns and ask them to listen to your chest. As someone rightly said earlier you shouldn't ignore a lingering cough, but what that fails to add is that it doesn't neccessarily mean it's something dreadful.

I just want to add by the way, and I normally steer clear of commenting on this but it really annoys me, not all doctors are idiots. Sometimes, as much as you don't like what they have to say it can be right and if it is a virus then there is nothing that they can do about it. It's all very well giving anecdotes of what has happened to you but never having heard this other poster cough we are not in a position to give accurate advice.

 

[MustBeMummy]

I thought u couldn't take codiene while pregnant. I can't take it for my migraines....

 

[Rozz1e1]

I was prescibed cocodamol and dihydrocodeine whilst preggers and assured all is okxx

 

[Enekai]

The only other thing I can think of that has a cough with nearly no other symptoms was walking pneumonia. I had it as a teenager and didn't even know it.

What color is what you're coughing up? If it's yellow or green you probably need antibiotics. Is your cough bronchial sounding? Do you have pain around your eyes at all? Sometimes a nasty sinus infection can be as you've described too. Could also potentially be bronchitis. They both have nasty colored boogers. But you would also feel pretty awful if you had either one of these, you say you don't feel that ill. Sinus infections usually also have sinus pain though, bronchitis doesn't (in my experience of having both many times anyways).

If you're coughing up thick sputum it doesn't sound like acid reflux or post nasal drip. In any case, you should march back to your doctor and tell them how you're feeling and ask them to do something. Now I'm curious what it is!

 

[mylilone]

Oh I had the same thing for more than two weeks when I came back from India. It seems like virus.. I went to the doctor and she checked for the infection in my throat and there was nothing to be worried about. She didn't give me any medication. She just said coughing is not bad to the baby but it hurts you. I used to cough all day and night and would have stomach heavy by the end of the day. So this is not something which will harm the baby. But try to have ginger tea. it helps a lot.

I am feeling better after I had lot of ginger tea. Try the fresh ginger.

 

[summer rain]

I had the same a few weeks ago for 2-3 weeks. Although my nose seemed clear, mucus was dripping from it down my throat and onto my chest, causing an irritating cough and vomiting . It was viral and I just had to ride it out. I took glycerol based medicine with nothing else really in it and drank hot tea-though I found strangely the hot tea made it worse so I stopped that. xx

 

[Imamomma]

I have had a persistant cough throughout my pregnancy. I used to say I never get sick. I think it is associated with the persistent indigestion that I also have. I have been taking zantac and it has helped. Then everyone at work got this awful cough and I got that but it was different it was deeper and had some mucous. So needless to say I have to wear a pantyliner every day. I am hoping after I have this little one the coughing will stop cause you know I never... get sick

 

[A1983]

Ohhh my-ive got the constant dry cough and it's driving me insane-im exhausted! Does the glycerol cough medicine actually work? Any named ones you can suggest that are safe? Im getting mixed messages-Dr said codeine is fine, one pharmacist says covornia is ok yet another says ONLY the honey cough mixture is safe (which is crap!)

Ive tried everything else ie steamers, lozengers. Every 2 minutes im coughing :'(

 

[A1983]

Ps jenny how is yours now? Did anything work??!! Mine is the result of a mild cold I have x