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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to go to the doctors because of a cold?

29 replies

hedgehogsdontbite · 28/04/2015 22:37

A full on, stinking cold. I've had it for over 5 weeks now and it's showing no signs of pissing off. I'm exhausted. I've never known anything like it. But what can they do about a cold :(

OP posts:
PacificDogwood · 28/04/2015 22:38

YANBU to get checked out.
Might be a series of viral illnesses, or could be any number of other things.

Loletta · 28/04/2015 22:40

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bette06 · 28/04/2015 23:35

Have other people you know had this cold and, if so, how long did it take them to recover? That might give you an indication of whether it's a bad cold that is going round that takes x number of weeks to get out of your system or if it's something else.

NightsOfGethsemane · 28/04/2015 23:43

Could you see your pharmacist first and see what they suggest? See If they recommend getting checked out by the GP?

CamelHump · 28/04/2015 23:54

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EduCated · 28/04/2015 23:56

5 weeks is quite a long time to not be showing any improvement, seems sensible to get checked out.

Could it be hayfever? It completely knocked me for six this year.

Osmiornica · 29/04/2015 00:11

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MyIronLung · 29/04/2015 00:34

I've been ill for over 2 months now and I'm exhausted. I went to the docs 2 weeks ago and got some antibiotics (which made me feel v ill and sun sensitive) but I'm still ill!

I have a combination of earache, headache, sore throat, hacking cough (worse at night), aching joints, muffled/echoey hearing and I generally have no energy/very lethargic.

I need to go back because this is getting ridiculous. I've been ill for so long it's beginning feels normal Sad

MyIronLung · 29/04/2015 00:36

to feel

MrsMonkeyBear · 29/04/2015 05:40

I'm another who says hayfever. I've been hit by it 100 time worse than normal. Ended up at the GP yesterday as I had developed a horrible hacking cough. Been prescribed Certizine and its works wonders already.

Silvercatowner · 29/04/2015 05:52

Unless you are in pain (indicative of something other than a virus) then yes, you would be unreasonable to visit the dr, they can do nothing for you. 5 weeks is extreme and unpleasant, but there are some nasty bugs around.

Stratter5 · 29/04/2015 05:58

My hay fever has been appalling this year, bad enough to give me a sore throat on top of the usual snotty, itchy misery .

schmalex · 29/04/2015 06:02

5 weeks is a long time. I had what I thought was a 2 week cold. I went to the doc and it turned out it was a bacterial sinus infection, cured very quickly by antibiotics.

Rosa · 29/04/2015 06:23

5 weeks is too long and those who say you are wasting GP time you are not. Even if it is a cold / viral you need confirmation from a professional that it is just that . At this stage it might have turned into an infection . If it is hayfever then you could need stronger than over the counter meds. I doubt any doctor will say you are wasting their time when it has gone on for 5 weeks. I had a 3 weeker one each stage was 3/4 days one after the other with all symptoms for a couple of days but it 'moved on'. Make an appointment ! Hope you get well soon.

Original poster
hedgehogsdontbite · 29/04/2015 06:49

Does bacterial sinus infection also cause a hacking cough?

DS and DH had the same bug at the same time but they got better after a week. I got worse instead. I had terrible face pain and all my teeth were hurting so bad I was eyeing up the pliers. That got better after a few days but the other symptoms just won't go.

OP posts:
BMW6 · 29/04/2015 07:18

Yes. You may need some antibiotics to clear the sinus infection.

SomewhereIBelong · 29/04/2015 07:29

I wish MIL had seen her doctor - instead she "soldiered on" because she "didn't want to bother him" - cue 8 days in hospital followed by having to stay with us (well, with me - DH is overseas with work til Saturday) afterwards - 2 weeks so far - incontinent, wetting herself whenever she coughs -

78, recovering from bronchial pneumonia... guess how much she coughs...

I would get it checked out - especially going on for so long, with a hacking cough.

MrsBojingles · 29/04/2015 07:38

If you've got a hacking cough I would go, probably a secondary infection triggered by the cold. You're not asthmatic are you?

Grantaire · 29/04/2015 07:45

You could ring the surgery and ask if they have an appropriate appointment. Maybe with a nurse practitioner.

I have to say though, I'm usually fit and healthy, exercise hard nearly every day and colds are usually a mild sniffle. I am going to exercise today for the first time in 5 weeks. About a week before the easter holidays I caught a cold. It went on and on and on and on. I had the terrible, face, teeth, ear pain. My face throbbed, I couldn't breathe. I was exhausted, sore throat, terrible hacking cough unlike anything I've ever had before. I didn't eat, could barely face walking down the stairs some mornings. DH took a day off work for the first time in 16 years. He struggles in through everything. At one point, I didn't leave the house for 8 days. When I emerged, blinking, into the real world, I met several friends, all thinner, pale and having spent a few weeks with precisely the same thing.

My sinuses were the main problem. Long after the other stuff was clearing, my sinuses were terribly blocked and slightly leaking down my throat which was causing the cough and sore throat. Suddenly, 4 weeks in my sinuses decided to drain. It was hideous. The most foul tasting/smelling bright yellow/green stuff and so much of it.

It's all gone now and I feel normal. Unfit and out of shape but all better.

DH and I agree it was the worst 'cold' ever.

yolofish · 29/04/2015 09:28

ooh I'm glad I read this! I too have the constant snot, sore throat and hacking cough which is not responding to cold meds, and hay fever had really not occured to me [thick emoticon]

sorry OP, for making it all about me! After 5 weeks I would say definitely worth getting it checked out, dr or nurse prac will be able to tell you within 5 minutes whether you need antibiotics or whatever - hardly a huge waste of NHS resources.

Osmiornica · 29/04/2015 09:44

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maroonedwithfour · 29/04/2015 09:47

It might not be a cold, get checked out

naicepam · 29/04/2015 10:28

I dread catching colds, as it always lingers in my sinuses and carries on for weeks and makes me feel shivery and exhausted 'til it clears. I find it hangs around until you can clear it yourself. I usually take a shower, then when it's nice and steamy in the bathroom, hold your nose and blow hard a few times (don't make yourself pass out though, as you're usually quite dizzy already when you have blocked sinuses!). I can usually feel the snot moving down my sinuses towards my nose whilst doing this. After you've finished, give your nose a good blow and hopefully you'll have got rid of some of the more stubborn snot.

SomewhereIBelong · 29/04/2015 15:41

holding your nose and blowing is what sends the gunk up to your sinuses in the first place - you are supposed to gently blow one nostril at a time

sorry for the daily fail link but here

naicepam · 29/04/2015 16:06

It works for me. The first time I discovered it was after suffering a sinus infection for a month. It cleared up in just over a day after blowing with my nostrils closed. I can feel the gunk moving downwards, not upwards, so I know it's working.