Can't shake off this damn cough!

[ALongHardWinter]

Has anyone else had an awful cold, accompanied by an awful cough recently? The cold started exactly 3 weeks ago,I felt ghastly. Slight temperature,no appetite,just wanted to sleep but couldn't because I kept coughing! (Definitely wasn't Covid btw,I did 3 tests over 3 days,all negative). I felt much better after 6 days,but now,3 weeks later,I still have an awful cough, particularly troublesome at night. Anyone else been afflicted,and how long did it take to clear up? I'm wondering whether to (try to) see my GP as it's gone on for 3 weeks.

6 weeks here and still coughing. 4 courses of anti biotics. Doc now says its viral and will go in its own time. Sick to death of it

Mine started 17th September!!
Fed up of it. Multiple covid tests all neg.
I suspect I should have had antibiotics right at the beginning but thought I would see if I could fight it off. Antibiotics make me feel so poorly.
So the high temp, chest pain etc went after about 5 days but the cough lingers on....
Had expectorant which made it productive (gross) but I can't buy a third bottle. Getting ridiculous.
Resigned to having to go to drs but don't want to.

My partner is having this issue. Caught a cold from our 4 year old carrier monkey and is still coughing several weeks later. She says it feels like she has something stuck in her chest...like a chest infection, but not. Definitely wasn't covid, as the aforementioned carrier monkey had had that a few weeks before the cold and graciously gave that to me. My partner escaped that, so this is her karma. :) Hope you feel better soon, op. Having any kind of lurgy is awful.

Yes we have both had it - went on for weeks and came back again to my DH. We are still not 100%. I had terrible headaches with mine.

Seems I'm not alone!
MadameOvary81 I'm familiar with the feeling of 'something stuck in your chest'. A lot of my coughing is trying to clear it.

I am sitting here coughing my guts up! Minor cold symptoms, but then lost my voice completely and coughing like hell. Its not chesty, all upper airway inflammation. Giving me a bloody headache. Feels like i have a constant lump of mucus in my upper chest. just cough cough cough. fed up after nearly 3 weeks. To add insult to injury ive also just had a 24 hour d&v episode, another virus and I feel like shit.

This all sounds exactly the same as I've got! A constant feeling of a lump of mucus in my upper chest. I spend half an hour coughing my guts up before I can get to sleep at nights,and another half an hour doing the same as soon as I wake up. I feel constantly worn out. Also,my appetite is nothing like normal, although I'm not complaining too much about that as I'm trying to lose weight. Have lost 6 lbs in the last 3 weeks without really trying!

It might sound a tad 'alternative' but the only thing that works for me once I get a cough is to swallow a raw close of garlic first thing in the morning.

Crush the clove between two spoons, then swallow and wash it down with a big glass of water. Notice how quickly you can feel your sinuses start to dry up.

Expect it to take a fortnight.

Good luck.

Close -> clove of garlic.

Yes, me too! Week six and third dose of antibiotics here 😣

I've had it for weeks. I've been using the cat's steroid inhaler to try and calm it down and it has helped a lot.

Yes, started on Halloween night, shivering and shaking, spent 2 days in bed (unheard of for me) felt like an exhausted wet rag for days, slightly better now, but still a horrible cough.

Dh has been going for weeks with the same thing. I've put it down to covid, but he hasn't tested.

it sounds similar to what I have and I’m being treated for suspected whooping cough. The feeling of there being something to cough up and so on. Cases seem to be increasing so might be worth considering?

I’ve found this site helpful whoopingcough.net

I've had it since 1st September. Just can't get rid of it. Every so often I feel like I've turned a corner and then the next day the cough is back full force. Accompanied by a pounding headache o can't shake. Suspected it's partly from all the coughing im doing.

I started on 8th October. Still totally exhausted. Cough seems better today but there have been multiple relapses along the way.

I too tested negative 5 times across 9 days but my DS tested positive and we had the same symptoms at the same time so I’m pretty confident I had it too.

A lot of post viral coughs are caused by post nasal drip.
A pharmacist recommended one a day anti histamine to dry it up

We also got a cough/cold around Halloween. Spent a few days in bed (also tested negative for COVID). I'm now on antibiotics for a double ear infection and daily antihistamines for a month and DH still coughing with sore ribs etc. Thoroughly sick of it now!

DH is on his 3rd week of coughing I was so cross with him that I booked him a GP appointment for Monday but new duty locum Dr was very dismissive saying it's viral blah blah.... by Wednesday he could barely breathe without coughing (and he has had recent cardiac surgery) so I wasn't taking any chances and rang the GP again asking politely if he could see another GP. This one told him he had crackles in his lower lungs, and gave him 2 courses of antibiotics as well as 5 days of steroids and an inhaler. He's barely any better tonight so it must be a bastard of a virus.

Plump82 Yes,that's what keeps happening with me! Several times I think I've turned the corner and feel considerably better,then the next day,I'm back to feeling like crap again. So frustrating.

Thanks - going to try that.

I've not been out the house all week. Lovely morning here so thought I'd go a gentle walk and now I'm exhausted and coughing my guts up. Disgusting!

About 6 weeks in and lungs still not good. I actually thought it was just me. When I had the cough for about 5 days, I couldn't actually speak as every time I tried to open my mouth to speak, I broke into a fit of coughing.

The cough has subsided but my lungs are very congested. I have had a course of antibiotics which seemed to marginally improve.

I also did numerous covid tests and all were negative.

I am the exact same coughing for 2 weeks now, I’m exhausted and barley sleeping. I have been sick multiple times during coughing fits. It is driving me insane!! Hoping we all start to feel better soon :(