To think I might die from a cold

[costadriveby]

So I've got a cold, it's quite bad actually and has gone on for a long time

I'm a massive worrier about my health and specifically any situation where I feel like I can't breathe

So I think I might have got a chest infection, breathing is a struggle, I can still function but I'm very aware how heavy and tight my chest is all the time, my glands are swollen and I'm assuming my throats is too, it feels like I have a hand slightly squeezed around my throat all the time and a lump in my throats when I swallow and swallowing food is a bit more of a chore than normal

I've now genuinely started to get concerned that my throats might just close up! Is that something that could happen? It's setting my anxiety off, I can't sleep because I think I'm going to stop breathing 🙄 it's so pathetic I know deep down I'm being stupid but I don't at the same time if that makes sense! 😡

Any reassurance would be appreciated. I search online but shockingly it's not a common question and nothing really came up! 😬

No it wont unless you have extreme tonsilitus, even then it just feels closed but is actually just massive infected tonsils blocking your throat. Just go to the walk in/doctors if you're that worried rather than posting on here

I don't think you are being stupid. You're worried and that is natural when you've not been able to shift this cold. But you mustn't self diagnose or try to. Go to the doctor and insist on a full check up and ask for specialist referrals if they try and fob you off. You know your own body and you need to push for answers.

I'll ring my doctors tomorrow if I still feel like this but the chance of getting an appointment before like next week is very slim!

Because I'm a bit of a hypochondriac and panic about the littlest things I can't work out if I'm legitimately worrying or just being stupid! 😩

I think if you still want to eat, you are probably OK at the moment. It's natural to worry. I worry about my children.
If they are not eating and getting worse rather than better that is when I think about taking them to GP.
If they are not drinking or weeing, I take 'em to GP.

Apart from that I wait and see!

If you're that worried can you not go to the doctor on call, especially if you think you won't get an appointment?

Well, realistically, if you have a compromised immune system or are otherwise more vulnerable than a typical healthy adult, it is possible to die from complications that a cold or influenza might cause, and chronic/acute breathing problems are not something to mess around with, so I would say, you should chase up your GP. There are posters all over our surgery saying that if you haven't shifted a cough within X time (I think two weeks?) that you should get another appointment. Do so. Unless you're having an allergic reaction or some other sort of event, though, I doubt that your airway would just suddenly close, but again, the best judge of that is a doctor in situ who can have a look and see what's what.