Bad cough that won't go away

They listened to my lungs.
I can sleep, it's just the whole schedule is messed up now.

 

What's really frightening is when I cough so hard that I feel like I'm leaving my body for a few seconds.
That can't be healthy.

 

Every time I have a bad cold I seem to cough for about three weeks afterward. Eventually, it goes away. I haven't had a bad cold for about four years, but that means I'm probably going to get hammered the next time I get one.

 

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/181-6584832-5482039?ASIN=B00168DOJ4&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B00168DOJ4|

 

The lede of this thread: ifilus didn't link to a gossip site.

 

Eh, I say don't sweat it. I just recently got over a cough I had for three weeks. After the first week, the sickness went away but I still had flem/mucus in my throat that I'd hack up a lot. After the second week, it was more of a clearing my throat kind of thing.

I say ride it out until it's gone but, if it's a peace of mind thing, get a second opinion.

 

About 4 years ago, I got a bad cold and then had a cough that wouldn't go away. It was the worst at night and I would often wake up in the middle of the night, coughing. After trying every non- prescription remedy under the sun, I figured it would eventually go away. Then I started getting what I termed "wheezing episodes" - always at night, always with massive wheezing but never so bad that I felt like I couldn't breathe at all. They hit randomly, but always at night. After I had one on a red eye flight that scared the crap out of me and ruined my chances of sleeping in my first class seat, it dawned on me that these might be asthma attacks.

I went to an asthma specialist who ran a zillion tests and confirmed that yes, at the age of 37, I now had asthma. He couldn't determine the cause - I never had any problems before, no allergies, wasn't stress or exercise induced, etc.

I got an inhaler. Once I got that, I had 3 very mild attacks (much more mild than any of my previous ones) over 2 months or so and then more than 3 years passed without another. I stopped carrying my inhaler and didn't give it much thought, really. I didn't consider myself as even having asthma anymore.

Then, a few months ago, totally out of nowhere, I was out of town and on my way to visit friends, when I had an attack while driving. Thankfully, it was another very, very mild one, since my only inhaler was hundreds of miles away and way expired. I have no idea why it popped up over 3 years since my last attack, but obviously it's still there.

I guess my advice is to get yourself checked out. I broke a rib once from coughing (no, I'm not making that up) so it's worth the co-pay to get a second opinion.

 

I couldn't shake a bad cough a few years ago and finally went to the doctor. Turns out, it was an ear infection hijaking my immune system. Antibiotics for that and Mucinex for the cough had me better in three days.

 

If you're lucky, the doctor will prescribe cough syrup with codeine -- you know, the good shit.

 

I have no solutions for you, but I'm glad you've brought this up 'Taters.

I've had two god awful colds in the last year and it took me weeks to get rid of the coughs afterwards. Then when I'm done with the coughs, it feels like my chest is wrapped with an ace bandage and my lungs can't expand all the way for at least another month.
I had one in mid-March of last year and it took me until early June until I felt comfortable running again. This time I got hit on Thanksgiving and the cough lasted until Christmas. My breathing still isn't right.
I've noticed this is worse since I've had bouts with bronchitis and pnemonia.

 

Wow - what a story. Do you suppose a virus could have given you asthma?

I hope you carry your inhaler now!

 

Funny - no, I don't carry my inhaler (idiot!). I just left for a trip and it's at home. The doctor didn't think it was a virus - he thought the asthma was just dormant in my system and it would have eventually started.