Oh my GOD help me get rid of this cough

[Marianne1234]

I am at the end of my rope.

I’ve been quite unwell for the past ten days. I assumed Covid because my daughter had it but I’ve tested and tested and tested and it’s always negative.

The horrible sinusy fluey feeling has finally passed but I can’t shake this awful cough and it’s driving me mad. It’s sore. It’s keeping me awake. I’m at the end of my tether with it. So is my husband. He’d never say anything but it’s keeping him awake too.

Had a telephone call with GP who thinks it’s viral and to give it more time.

Please. It’s so debilitating. There must be something that can help me.

honey, lemon & hot water

Had this for 14days now and yes it's awful. Sympathies. Had to work through it all and honestly found it debilitating, could barely think. Hot drinks and also sinus spray.

Just had this. Only one thing helped it:

CoVONia!

Constant warm drinks (I alternate between honey and lemon and ribena), cozy jumpers, stay inside, keep warm, don't talk, get to bed early (straight after your evening meal) and do as little as possible so you recover but it will take a week or more. Boots do nice blackcurrent glycerin throat pastilles that are different from normal cough sweets but I usually have Halls Soothers on the go as well. Antihistamines can sometimes help apparently. If you have a Ventolin inhaler see if that helps the cough (DS coughs rather than wheezes sometimes).

Difflam spray helped me immensely....also gargled a small drop of tcp diluted in water which numbed it completely in the past....be very careful though....possibly Quincy if it's really sore ...good luck

See if you can find a pharmacy that will sell codeine linctus over the counter. It’s the only thing that actually stops the cough reflex.

Keep drinking a lot. Water, if possible. My husband is the same, following a bad cold (He had Covid in July, as did I), and he's been coughing all the bloody time for 3 weeks now.

Cough medicine. Benylin works a treat for me. I use it as soon as I get a cough because I'm asthmatic and really struggle to breathe when I've got a cough

Thank you thank you. I’ll be trying all of this.

It is absolutely exhausting. I’m so self conscious as well. Took my daughter out today and felt like everyone was glaring at me. I don’t have covid!!

@JingleJingleAllTheWay which benelyn do you use, chesty cough etc? I'm always a bit confused about cough medicines as to which one to choose as a cough can sometimes alternate between dry and phlegmy...

Benylin and codine is the only thing that works. You get it over the counter at pharmacy. And it also makes you tired so you get a good nights sleep!

I had it for 9 weeks and currently pregnant so literally could not take much at all. In the end I used Apple Cider Vinegar with hot water and drank a couple of those a day. It did seem to help a bit and it went within that week. Now I avoid germs like the plague because I do not want it coming back!

[quote CityCommuter]@JingleJingleAllTheWay which benelyn do you use, chesty cough etc? I'm always a bit confused about cough medicines as to which one to choose as a cough can sometimes alternate between dry and phlegmy...[/quote]
I use the chesty one because it's always on my chest. When you cough, you can usually tell whether its dry or chesty.
They have a dry one too.

Oh I’m the same re the cough medicine confusion!

Oh god me too. I had covid a few weeks ago, and I've been left with the never-ending cough from hell. I agree about the self-consciousness – coughing is socially unacceptable now and everyone looks at you. I also have really sore rib muscles from coughing! Thanks to pps - going to try the benylin/codeine.

The ones for a chesty / mucous cough contain something that thins the mucous, making it easier to cough up.

They don't suppress the cough reflex though. For that, codeine linctus as mentioned above can work well if you can get it. Otherwise pholcodine is another option available from pharmacies.

I also find that alcohol can help suppress a cough!

Go and see the GP and get them to listen to your chest. It may not be viral and it could need antibiotics. I improved no end after a few days on Amoxicillin.

Vicks do some fab cough lozenges. £1 a pack. When I have a coughing fit they help immensely.
I’m also reassured that there are others in the same boat as me.
Nearly 3 weeks now. Definitely not Covid.
I haven’t had a cold in about 3 years.
My asthma is worse and my chest is sore.
I had a massage yesterday and the therapist said the mid part of my back was warm 🥺

Calpol plug in vapouriser for at night (they're sold for kids but work wonders for adults too) and sleep propped up on a few pillows.

Sympathies, I'm just coming out of it myself (just had my first full night's sleep in nine days - total bliss). I found the following helpful:

• Steam inhalation: Boiling water in bowl, towel over head to trap steam. Breath in through nose for 5 seconds, out through mouth for five second, for at least 5 minutes. Repeat four times a day

• Drink more water / squash than you think you could ever possibly need. Litres of the stuff.

• Hot drink made of 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, one tablespoon of honey, grating of fresh ginger, boiling water.

• Sleep slightly propped up on pillows, so you're not lying totally flat.

• Fresh air, especially if it's wet / damp outside.

Codeine linctus, as mentioned above, is the business, but quite hard to get hold of without a presctiption. Pholcodeine (available OTC) is a decent alternative.

Good luck!

Oh, I forgot - gargle with salt water. Totally disgusting but it does help.

I always get awful coughs after a virus but managed to stave off the most recent one. Not sure if it helped or not but I tried this breathing technique in bed at night and I felt like it helped me settle to sleep easier.

F

Have you done a PCR? When you tested and tested LFTs are pointless if you have symptoms, which you do.

We have all had a horrendous cold, the cough has lingered for three weeks but we are negative on PCRs

I swear by night nurse.