Coughing relentlessly and in pain

[cadburyegg]

I've had an ongoing dry cough for 2 weeks now, have been gargling salt water and using cough medicine, sleeping on an incline but sometimes it's been so bad I've lost sleep.

Now this morning I've woken up with back pain and quite sharp pain under my boobs . I'm assuming I've bruised a muscle from the coughing but now I'm having trouble taking deep breaths and coughing is so painful, I have a constant wheeze cos I can't cough properly.

I'm taking ibuprofen / paracetamol but it's sooo painful. I'm a single mum to 2 active dc and struggling a bit. Any tips on what I can do to help myself please

Hi OP, I have had very similar symptoms with a cough lasting over 5 weeks. I also thought I'd pulled a muscle. I went to the GP and was diagnosed with pleurisy. I've just finished a course of antibiotics and steroids. The pain in my back and ribs is easing but I'm still coughing although not as much. Also very short of breath.

So main tip would be try and get seen by the gp as soon as possible, because if it is pleurisy caused by an underlying infection you may need meds to clear it. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Sounds like it could be pleurisy. If you can wait it out until tomorrow then call your GP, otherwise 111 today. When I had it I was given antibiotics but also codeine, apparently works as a cough suppressant as well as pain relief.

I had a cough, for weeks and weeks, felt a bit rough, so thought I might need a nebuliser (asthmatic) went to a&e and was admitted with hyper inflated lungs, spent a week in the acute medical unit!

Thank you.

Spent an hour waiting in a queue on the phone this morning to be told no more GP appts. Went to walk in centre to be told that they don't deal with this kind of thing despite it being on their website. The receptionist made me feel like a time waster 😭 so I went home again. Called 111 and they are arranging for a GP to call me back.

I pulled a chest muscle coughing with flu once and was sent to hospital where it was diagnosed within seconds. No treatment but you are still better getting checked out although raising the bed can give you pains too.

When I had this it was pneumonia. Diagnosed by bloods and an x ray

What happened in the end OP? I have exactly this today and also assumed pulled muscle but maybe I should call docs tomorrow after reading these comments